The General and Her Tyrant
by AWolfNamedStark
Summary: General Esdeath marches North to crush her enemies while secretly pondering her new quest to find love. Meanwhile, the young sailor Wave returns to his home village with a new Teigu in tow. The events spurred by the shadow war between the Empire and Night Raid will bring these two eccentric allies together in strange and unexpected ways.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Akame ga Kill, it is the property of Square Enix, and was created and written by Takahiro and drawn by Tetsuya Tashiro**

 **This story will cover a pairing I don't usually seen given much love, though I think it makes sense and makes for an interesting story, so I hope you do, too. It will follow the general anime story as opposed to the manga story, though there will be slight deviations and some elements from the manga incorporated.**

 _Chapter One- Kill the Memory_

The sound of hundreds of horse hooves clacking against black, sheeted ice on dirt was music to her ears. Though that analogy hardly made sense considering she didn't care much for music or the arts in the first place.

Her troops didn't mutter among themselves like those of others military officials. They didn't squabble or make bets on the outcome of the battle or talk about their mission. They were silent. Only the sounds of their horses' hooves and the clang of metal spurs and swords pressing against their belts as they trotted along and the howling of the winds to the North accompanied them.

This is the sign of a well-disciplined, loyal, experienced army. They knew what was coming and anticipated it not only with fear but a certain glee. Victory was assured and the spoils of war would be enjoyed by all once the dust settled.

"This- this is where I belong. This is the world I know and love and thrive in," she thought.

Her long, silky blue hair flowed in a majestic, entrancing way. Her beauty was unmatched but somehow harsh and intimidating to all. She was just as enamoring as she was terrifying to all who came across her. Her blue eyes were beautiful like glaciers, but they also seemed to just pierce whatever they were directed at. Even her eyes were weapons in their own right.

This was the Empire's Strongest General, the Ice Queen Esdeath.

They had been riding for a day now, headed north to dispose of the North's problematic hero and prince Numa Seika, who was raising his armies against the rule of the almighty Empire.

Esdeath looked forward to meeting him. By all accounts he was strong, fierce, intelligent, charismatic—someone his people could put their faith in to lead and protect them. He had never lost a battle with a spear in his hands.

Esdeath also added young and handsome to that list of qualities. She would not have usually factored this in at all, her drive to destroy this adversary would've been too strong to even notice. But as of late, her feelings seemed… different.

She had begun feeling a bit lonely at the top, and felt maybe trying something that everyone else seemed to enjoy but she could never seem to fully grasp would be useful- to try finding a mate. To fall in love with someone.

She just saw it as a new experience and something to conquer in her long list of accomplishments for her life, of which she had accomplished by her early 20s.

But then, as anyone does, she began to narrow down what exactly she would even be looking for in a mate- as the Empire's Strongest and living by the philosophy her father imparted on her about survival of the fittest she could never think to be with a weakling, so she opted that her love would be strong. Not _too_ strong, as she would still have to be able to straighten him out if he stepped out of line. After all, _she_ is always in control.

He would also have to be intelligent as she was and a candidate for growth into a general like her, as well as being fearless.

This is why she was excited to meet Numa Seika, for if he puts up a good resistance to her conquest he may be strong enough to be hers and serve in her army. If he is able to survive her torture techniques long enough without breaking then he will definitely have proven himself worthy. Only time will tell.

Despite his status as the enemy, Esdeath wanted to keep an open mind about this as a possibility. Love is strange she was always told.

The salty air blew in from the shore on the outskirts of Wave's village, creating a gentle, sea-scented breeze that reminded him of his time on the open ocean. He had returned from his stint in the Imperial Navy not a month before and already he was tired of his quiet village life and thirsted for adventure once again.

The smell of the ocean on the air brought him back to his final day at sea. Keno had seen Wave leaning on the railing, watching the white splashes created by the vessel splashing below him, spraying his face with a cool mist. He gazed out onto the vast, seemingly endless plain of greenish blue.

Keno: It is beautiful, isn't it?

Wave: Huh? Oh, I didn't notice you there. Yeah, yeah it is. I'm going to miss it.

Keno: Ha. It's not going anywhere. You live right next to it. You can always come back.

Wave: Yeah… but now that I'm not on assignment—it won't be the same. That sense of constant action and travel- it won't be there.

Wave hung his head, reflecting on how quickly his time had gone. It seemed like just the other day Keno was visiting his home, a home he had frequented visiting Wave's parents, his longtime friends, since Wave was a boy, convincing him to join Keno in the Imperial Navy, and that one day Wave could become a captain just like him.

Now the three years at sea were over… and Wave returned to his humble life as a fisherman's son in the village he spent his entire life in until the Navy called upon him again. Wave, despite his service, was still just a common sailor, without a high rank like Keno. Wave dreamed of having his own vessel to command, and eventually to settle down after a life on the high seas and of helping the people of the Empire, maybe with a wife and family.

Keno: The sea will always be there, Wave. It calls to people like you and me. And even without the sea, you carry its spirit with you. You're strong and persistent and free. And you'll bring that spirit with you wherever you're called. You might save a lot of people with that spirit. That and your never-ending optimism.

Wave smiled at that comment.

Wave: Thank you. It means a lot coming from you. I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you. I'd be at home catching swordfish and squid with my father.

Keno: Your father is a good man. Hardworking. Never forget that. The fisherman's trade has no glory but it is an honorable, honest job. It helps people, too. Puts food on their tables.

Wave: I know. I would never—

Keno: I know, Wave. I just sometimes have to remind myself too that the simple life is still a good one.

His mentor smiled warmly at him.

Keno: Come below deck; I want to show you something.

Wave followed the middle-aged but still well-built captain down the stairs to the storage below the surface, dimly lit by oil lanterns. The rest of the crew were scattered about doing various errands, and Keno took Wave to the back room for some privacy to show him an old metallic crate.

Wave: What is this?

Keno: It's yours. It's been down here too long without someone to own it. To wield it, rather. This was collected from an illegal trading vessel some time ago and was locked down here and forgotten about by many. I think that fire in your soul that calls you to the sea can also be found in this. I think if you and this Imperial Arms bond- you'd be an unstoppable force. You could help the Empire considerably, fix all the crime throughout it.

Wave: Imperial Arms? I don't know if I can do that, Keno. It's too intense. Only the most powerful warriors can wield them, and I'm just—

Keno: You're nothing but what you tell yourself you are. After the way you fought to take out the pirates that flanked us the other week, I knew you were more of a fighter than you let yourself believe.

Keno took the box's latches and snapped them open, revealing the shiny black suit in all its glory, with a menacing but slick helmet with two horn-like attachments on either side.

Wave was in awe of the amazing gift. He couldn't even express his surprise or thanks. He was staring at a real Imperial Arm. A tool that only the most powerful and focused could use. Was he really compatible with this armor?

Wave: Wha—what's it called?

Keno smirked.

Keno: They call it Carnage Incarnate, but a less sinister name is the Grand Chariot.

Wave snapped back to the present as he stared out at the shoreline of the beach, seeing the calm, serene ocean calling to him, and felt the power of Grand Chariot rush inside him every time he stared out. He wondered where Keno was, and if they would work together on the sea again. He could only hope.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two- Kill the Prince_

Soldiers cried out in agony as their blood froze in their veins and the skin was infected with frost bite within moments. Their pained expressions and eyes full of awe and terror frozen in time. General Esdeath's icy blue stare cut through their hearts before her rapier did, she effortlessly leapt around the battlefield, slashing at the Northern men and women with unmatched proficiency. She was joined by her side by three soldiers in black suit-like attire.

One a middle-aged man, with graying hair tied in a long ponytail, and a well-groomed moustache; another a large younger but still well-aged man with long dirty blonde hair and white eyes and a broad build like a strongman or lumberjack, wearing two black horns atop his head; and the final a younger man with a slight growth stunt in a schoolboy's black uniform and shaggy blonde hair with two small black horns and sharp canines, appearing as an androgynous child. These were ex-general Liver, Daidara, and Nyau- the Three Beasts- Esdeath's trusted bodyguards/enforcers, considered among the most elite forces in the Empire.

Liver, despite being grizzled from years of military service, was still fast and spry, able to cut down men half his age with brutality, even chopping a young Northerner with his bare wrist in the nose, inverting it into his skull with such force his entire face seemed to implode.

Daidara wielded his Imperial Arms, a mighty battle axe with two edges, splitting a woman down the middle via the neck with a clean, hard swipe, spraying his face with warm blood and bone bits to his delight. His fury in battle was unmatched by any in the Imperial Army but Esdeath herself.

Nyau played his flute, weakening the Northern forces, putting them into a paralyzed state, their bodies sleeping but their minds wide awake. He grinned with his sharpened teeth and produced a large hunting knife from his belt, walking towards an older soldier, too old for the battlefield but his pride strong enough to push him to try and fight. He began slicing into the forehead of his first victim of many to come, explaining his unusual hobby. As the face was slowly peeled off the old Northerner, he shrieked in horror on the inside, barely able to process the level of pain he was in. Nyau was the ultimate sadist, pure and simple. Or, that's what all who knew him said before Esdeath recruited him and proved a match for his cruelty. As the son of a wealthy family he had access to constant supplies of peasants to victimize without punitive intervention, and now as a high-ranking soldier in the increasingly debauched Empire, nothing has changed for him.

Esdeath was basking in the glory of her effortless conquest when she spotted him across the frozen streets of the Northerner's fortified town. His spear moved so fast it would be imperceivable if Esdeath did not have eyes trained to spot such skillful manipulation. She smiled sadistically as she charged across the field, effortlessly freezing and cutting down any Northerner foolish enough to charge her or so much as be in her way. Numa Seika saw her coming as he finished off some of her soldiers. They had tried to come at his in large groups to overpower him, but the rumors were true: he was undefeatable with a spear no matter the amount of enemies he faced.

Numa Seika's eyes widened in anticipation as he blocked her blow with his spear. They clashed with immense fury, Numa Seika being pushed back by her incredible strength despite her slender frame. Esdeath slashed with incredible fury and accuracy but Numa Seika was faster than she expected, dodging her blows and landing one on her with the wood hilt of his spear, cracking her shoulder. She grunted and backed away, before laughing maniacally.

"You've landed a hit. You've earned some fragment of my respect. Now I won't castrate you like I initially planned." She grinned, getting inside the young man's head. She could see by the look of shock in his eyes after she said that that she was successful. The fight was already won, she could tell.

She lunged again, blasting Numa Seika with ice shards from the ground, demonstrating her control over it masterfully. She slashed into his armor but he was able to dodge the one meant for his head. Seika turned to run through an Imperial soldier who charged him from the side as he was distracted. Now his spear was momentarily not pointed at Esdeath, and he turned to barely block a downwards swing from her heel, breaking his arm gauntlets. He fell forward from the force, to receive a kick in the face from her opposite foot. He flew back, tasting copper in his mouth from the forceful kick. He smacked into the wall, struggling forward, only to look up to meet Esdeath sadistic smile and eerily blue eyes as she rushed towards him with unfathomable speed, body slamming him through the wall, leaving his body armor scratched and barely held together. Esdeath stood up quickly, elbowing Numa Seika across the face, and freezing his metallic boots into place on the floor, before putting the prince into a painful choke hold and slowly putting him into a blackout state as he grunted and struggled.

"Shhhh….." she whispered in his ear with an unsettling calmness. "You're mine now, dog." He heard as he drifted into complete darkness, aware that he had let down his people and was now at the mercy of a madwoman.

'I'm disappointed at him. He barely was able to keep up pace. Sure, he might've never lost a fight with a spear, but without the spear he's worthless. It was a crutch for him. I doubt he'll even be able to survive my torture for more than a few minutes. Oh well, might as well get it over with fast.' She thought, grimacing at the limp body of the young prince, before single-handedly dragging him away by the leg, breaking down the ice on his boots, showing the defeated prince to the now subjugated Northern soldiers, seeing their hearts break in their tired, bagged eyes.

She smirked before nodding to Liver, who commanded the forces to make examples of the remaining villagers and soldiers, who were dragged screaming away to be frozen and dismembered and violated. Liver was despondent to this, his respect for Esdeath now outweighing his moral compass. Daidara and Nyau joined in with childlike giddiness.

Wave awoke in his bed in the childhood room that hadn't changed since he left it. He still had a wooden model ship he had built as a child from some scraps he found. He had a few texts on the pirates that used to terrorize the ports of the Capital and the Navy's code of conduct manual provided from when he first enlisted. He got up and stretched, donning a roughed-up white shirt and loose brown pants, leaving his old room to the kitchen of his family's modest home.

"You're up early," Wave's father Ren said when he came to the table.

"Yeah, I'm still getting used to the time change. I'm used to getting up early on the ship." Wave groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. "That smells wonderful. What is it, mom?"

"It's some smoked salmon with rice." Wave's mother Kia smiled. "I know you've probably had too much seafood on that ship but—"

"No no, mom, it's fine." Wave half-smiled, digging into his breakfast.

"How is Keno? We hardly see him these days with all the fighting going on." Ren asked Wave as he sat down to eat.

"He's good. Back out on the sea that he loves, so I'm sure he's doing all right."

"And how's that armor he gave you? It's very sleek, it makes you look so lean and handsome. All the girls in the village have been asking after you since you got back." Kia smiled with her eyes shut.

Wave tried to ignore his mother's obvious pandering and building up his confidence.

"I don't know about that…" he looked down, embarrassed, "But it is a really powerful Imperial Arms. It increases my strength in speed tenfold at least, and makes me much more durable. I'm gonna start training with it soon in the village outskirts. Maybe hunt some Danger Beasts to help feed the village."

"And keep people from getting knocked off by them constantly when they go to hunt elk and buffalo in the nearby plains." Ren added sardonically.

"Hey, I forgot to mention that your uncle Genji has been out on hunting expeditions himself recently. He should be back soon, and he wants to see you. Maybe you two could go hunting and training together, he could show you a few things. Maybe it would be good bonding time for you two." Kia added, excited at her own idea.

"That sounds great. When is he supposed to be back?" Wave asked.

"Sometime today or tomorrow I believe." said Kia.

Wave finished his breakfast. Well, I better go out and take care of those turnips dad planted on the end of town and then I'll go start training.

Wave put on some slipper shoes and made his way outside, briefly blinded by the intense orange and white of the morning sun. Some nearby children playing hackey sack made their way quickly over, asking Wave excitedly about his time at sea and fighting pirates and sea creatures and the like. Some young ladies in the corner began giggling as he walked by and gossiping about him. Wave smiled at all the admiration he was receiving. Some elders of the village spotted him.

"There goes Kia and Ren's boy. He's got a good spirit, he does. A hero of the village. I'm glad the young ones have someone they can look up to here. All the other young men have gone off to fight in the military as well but none have returned yet." One older woman told her husband.

As Wave approached the outskirts of the village, his dark hair blowing in the gentle morning wind, he saw a scouting party approaching the gates. He paused, unsure if they were bandits or Imperial forces or what. Wave prepared to activate the Grand Chariot, before noticing who led the party. He was an older, but still well built and lean man with a graying black beard on his face and hair tied into a bun. He met Wave's stare at the same time, smiling.

"Uncle Genjo!" Wave cried out, running towards the scouting party, instinctively going back to when he last saw Genji before he left. He felt like he was still just a boy then. Now he was a man of the sea, and Genji noticed.

"Wave, you seem to have grown." They shook hands and wrapped their arms around one another.

"Taller?" Wave asked, confused.

Genji chuckled, "No, not literally. But you seem… different. More experienced. Your time in the Navy has served you well."

"Thank you, uncle. But I still have much to learn."

Numa Seika's head throbbed as he awoke, groaning in pain, barely remembering where he was. He heard screams and carnage nearby, but he couldn't make out from where. It seemed to be all around him. He realized from the sudden freezing sensation that he was not only without his proper armor, he was completely naked, out in the cold. He staggered up, struggling, only to feel a cold metal chain pull down on his neck and swift heel to the back dig into him, pinning him back to the cold, frosted Earth.

"Do not stand, worm. You are not fit to be at my level." A stern but familiar female voice coldly commanded.

"W-where am I?" he said, his once strong voice shaking from both the cold and the uncertainty of his fate.

"Home." She smiled, coming into his frame of vision, lifting her heel from him, leaving a small bleeding mark. She lifted her arm, gesturing out. They were high up on the city's walls. He realized behind him was his throne, he turned back to be sure but she quickly crouched down next to him, grabbing his hair, her filed nails digging into his skull, cutting his scalp slightly. He grunted and struggled but she wrenched his head back to where she was gazing out upon his city.

"Look where I tell you, dog." She grinned widely.

Numa Seika's eyes widened in horror and shock, his mind flooded with so much denial, so many emotions he couldn't process anything, jis jaw hanging open and shaking, muttering to himself.

His people were either entirely frozen or being slowly dismembered and raped and impaled on spikes, naked in the cold. Not a one was spared. Even the children were put into the Imperial wagons and sent off to labor in the Capital.

"You see? You are defeated because you are weak. And now, you belong to me. You will be my slave. You will consider it a privilege to serve me as such. You will entertain me with your subjugation, and your only purpose in life will to be tormented by me. You will never know my touch, your only pleasure will be cleaning the dirt from my boots with your worthless tongue that you used to speak against the Empire, and those better than you." Numa Seika registered these words but they no longer even frightened him. She was right. He was worthless- as a leader, a warrior, a strategist, a prince... he let his people down, failed to protect them, and they are suffering because of his misguided attempts to usurp the Capital. He was nothing of value and so he should embrace his status as a mere dreg.

He crawled over to her, bowing his head in defeat, and she dug her boot heel into the back of his head and neck, forcing his face to the ground as he struggled against her to remain on all fours.

"Well, I'm surprised to see you have accepted this. I'd usually be happy, but I'd wished you'd fought back a little harder, makes it more amusing."

"Would you like me to fight back? Would that amuse you more?" He asked genuinely, completely demoralized and disappointed he can't even be a pet correctly.

"Haha, no." she grinned "No matter, let's begin." She dragged him by the collar to a slab she had laid out for him to tie him down to begin his punishment for insubordination.

Hours later, and Numa Seika was no more. His old mind had completely vanished and all that was left was an absolute worship of Esdeath. She was a goddess in his eyes and everything about her was a revelation. Her conquest and destruction of his people was totally justified, she was incredible and divine and they were weak and not even deserving of a death at her hands.

Just being in her presence was a privilege and a pleasure, and Numa Seika genuinely looked forward to a continued existence as her masochistic plaything. He licked her boots up and down with absolute delight, panting heavily as he did. This was his new love- punishment by her.

He finished when she relinquished her vice grip on his leash, allowing him enough breathing room to sit up, allowing him to take a break. He was so pleased with getting to look up at her heavenly visage that he didn't even notice her glum expression.

She was at her worst—bored. His submission was boring, his fighting style was overhyped, he enjoyed the torment too much too quickly, he would hardly make a good pet for very much longer before she grew resentful of him. He barely even fought back against her. She was mostly angry at herself for ever even thinking he would make a good mate, let alone a decent doormat.

"So this was supposed to be the North's great hero?" she sneered, before going back to her eerie monotone. "How boring. Die!" she said with disgust, kicking Numa Seika with her heel, cracking his face and head open and spraying his brains on the pavement. 'At least he died happy and blissfully unaware' was the only comfort any of the soldiers could muster at the sight of this utterly pathetic sight.

Esdeath stood before her army, smiling sadistically again at the prospect of finding a true enemy to satiate her appetite for violence. As she rode back home to the Capital, she pondered her list of qualities. What was it mostly about this Numa Seika that bothered her with his submission? Was it the quickness of his surrender or the fact that he quickly enjoyed being her dog despite her barely even torturing him? No. Her eyes widened once she realized what it was. His smile.

He was always serious and stoic as a warrior so was rarely seen smiling. When he finally did when he submitted she found it—unappealing. It was like a dopey dog smile, not something to make her heart flutter but stomach churn. She couldn't say if he had always smiled like such a sad fool or if it was her doing but needless to say he was damaged goods and unfit to serve under her even as a punching bag.

'Maybe that's the key factor I've been looking for' she thought internally to herself, her neutral constitution not even betraying her secret plan for love to her compatriots. She was trained well to give nothing away to others, even her allies.

'It's in the smile. My love would need to have a smile that's warm and compassionate and innocent and pure- a smile that betrays nothing about the cold, hardened warrior inside. Something that reminds me of his love for me that pairs with his strength.'

She smiled to herself warmly as she thought on this, which Liver took notice of as he rode beside her but would never dare call her on it. It reminded him of the first time they met in his cell beneath the Imperial palace, thinking the rest of his days would be spent rotting down in the dungeons. She rarely smiled so genuinely, but when she did- it made his day.

He too had been trained not to betray his emotions, so he hid his own smile as best he could and stared ahead coldly, bracing his face with the harsh winds of the North, trampling over shattered ice that was once a human being.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three- Kill the Village_

 **The Capital- Imperial Palace**

"Thank you, General Esdeath for your bravery in defending our nation and conquering the Northern tribes. As a reward, the crown has arranged for ten thousand in gold be paid to you." The young turqouise-haired boy sat upon his throne, still far too large for his small frame, as the large built Minister loomed nearby, chewing a fine cut of meat.

"I am grateful, your grace. I will send it North to my soldiers still fighting to secure our lands. They will be very pleased." She said in her usually calm voice, bowing her head in respect.

She had no care at all for money, merely to be provided with a never-ending string of conflicts to resolve—and enemies to defeat and humiliate. The Minister grinned maliciously as he internally reflected on what a perfect puppet she made: as long as she kept him in power to do as he pleased, he'd convince the impressionable and naïve child Emperor that she could destroy and dominate whatever she desired.

Esdeath continued, explaining how she intended to crush the Night Raid next, and the Emperor, pleased by this news, promised Esdeath that she would receive a reward more precious than money, and asked what she desired in addition to her payment.

"I think…" she looked up, her smile calm and assured, "I'd like to fall in love with someone."

The Emperor and Minister both froze, their hearts skipping a beat. They were so confused, how could they gift this to her? And why would someone with such a bloodthirsty heart and infamous reputation want to do something so normal? And just _decide_ to do it?

The Emperor was pleased however for her decision, and promptly offered the Minister, though the Minister was shocked and uninterested, and Esdeath coldly rebuffed, making a comment about his age and weight to his offense.

"I see.. shall we begin looking for a suitor?" The Emperor asked, perplexed.

"I have very specific standards, not just anyone will do. I'll have my extensive list of qualifications written out and sent to you." She grinned.

Internally, she was already refining her list further. She had realized that Numa Seika - she hated even thinking his name he was so pathetic in her eyes and she was just trying to forget him as she did all her unworthy foes and pets – did meet another qualification as well but it was no matter. She came to the conclusion that to fully dominate her partner as she intended she would have to outrank him in every aspect, even years of experience, and therefore he would ideally be a few years her junior. She internally was excited just thinking of this, her new plan was so foreign to her, she rarely got to experience something so new that gave her such a rush.

 **The Coast- Manta Bay Village**

Wood batons cracked against some makeshift sparring armor made of pillow cases and potato sacks. They barely protected the flesh beneath, as Wave was already bruised and sore. He was sparring with Genji and some of the older villager men, who were toughening him and the young boys up to deal with some bandits in the countryside. Reports from the Imperial army were coming in that the bandits were becoming harder and harder to contain and that villagers should prepare themselves to at least fend them off if not outright defeat them.

"You'll have to train without armor," Genji had told Wave before they began, "Because if you ever become separated from your Teigu, you cannot use it as a comfort, you'll have to know how to fight and survive on your own terms as well."

He was annoyed since his Teigu was so powerful he could take on anyone in the village with ease but at the same time he understood his uncle's advice. A weapon is only as good as its wielder, and the more powerful and deadly he could become on his own the more Grand Chariot's fury would build.

Wave was struck with a furious blow to the cheek by Genji's fist during his daydream. "You didn't think I'd go easy on you because I'm your uncle did you, Wave?" he asked, humored.

Wave wiped some blood from the inside of his mouth, his gum cut a bit. "Not at all, uncle." He replied, grinning as he pushed himself up, unexpectedly lunging, kicking up dirt as he did, and swiping down with a wood practice sword with tremendous force and speed, Genji barely able to put his arm up to block, breaking the wood sword in half over his shoddily guarded forearm.

"Ahh!" he cried.

"Uncle!" Wave shouted, eyes wide with fear that he had badly injured his relative. "Are you alright?' he put a hand on the shoulder, concerned as Genji grunted and looked down, before being grabbed by the collar and thrown down into the dirt.

"Never let your guard down. Your mercy will not be returned by a heartless killer. What do they teach you in the military these days? How to form a drum line?" he chuckled and Wave kicked his legs out from under him, sending him plopping onto the hard ground, and Wave threw dirt in his face to blind him while he jumped up and another older villager named Pyka ran towards him, but Wave managed to shift to the side, like a matador avoiding a raging bull, as Pyka slammed accidentally into Genji, prompting some hysterical laughs from the children and some sustained chuckles from the older men.

Wave smiled, before noticing the two men promptly jump up and come to attack him at once, now a little angrier from their hurt pride.

Wave slipped past Pyka's boorish tackle but was hit in the ribs with an audible crack from Genji's fist. A precision strike from an experience fighter, but Wave was able to momentarily ignore his pain and shock by locking his arm down, pinning Genji's arm under it, and spinning the older man around, flinging him to the side into Pyka, knocking him back down as he staggered to his feet. Wave bowed to the cheers of the onlookers, exaggerating his glory to further irritate the fallen men.

He remembered when he was a few years younger, sparring with Keno and Genji in this same place and getting destroyed.

He got frustrated, swinging with no skill, thrashing at the much older opponents, who got more amused than anything at his determination despite his lack of training or strength to match theirs'. However, despite choking on the field and feeling humiliated, Keno still approached the young man afterwards.

"You know, despite your lack of skill or training, you have the fighting spirit, and that's what counts." He said, warmly comforting the boy's broken self-esteem.

"Really?"

"Yes. You have a fury inside you that won't be calmed by anything, I've noticed it while I've been staying with your family these past few months, and if you channel that into a fighting method—you'd be unstoppable." Keno put his hands on the lad's shoulder and smiled, and Wave smiled back.

"In fact, I'd say that if your parents gave their blessing and you had the will to power through, a tour in the Imperial Navy under my command could really transform you into a promising soldier." Keno pondered.

"You think so?" Wave got excited thinking about adventures on the sea with Keno, who was an idol to him.

"Now don't get too excited too quickly, but I'm just throwing it out there, but I think I could pull some strings to make sure you could placed on my ship when I go back to duty in a month- and it won't be easy, sometimes it will make you want to go right back home, but I know you will persist through it. It's three long years of work, but by the end—you'll be a real man of the sea." Keno smiled as he spoke, building up Wave's confidence immensely.

Wave was now back in the present, his uncle Genji reminding him that they had some Danger Beasts to hunt in the plains before sundown.

 **The Coastal Plains**

The two men crouched in the tall grass, observing a huge, bull-like Danger Beast sauntering about in the distance, mawing grass and grunting.

Genji signaled to Wave with his eyes and Wave understood. They cautiously approached, and whenever their movement in the grass stirred the creature they halted, perfectly still, itching with anticipation, until the beast again calmed and ignored the rustling.

Genji unsheathed his hunting blade incredibly slowly, barely causing any noise from the metal scraping the hilt. The beast grunted and reared up, showing its broad, dense body, strong like a massive ox. Wave was more than a little nervous, and started breathing slightly heavier and faster, but Genji calmed him with a reassuring hand to the shoulder. Wave settled, knowing that anything could set the beast off. Suddenly, Genji leapt forward with immeasurable speed, unsheathing his blade and plunging it into the beast's heart, slicing down with all his might, splaying it open.

The beast reared and moaned out in agony and confusion, thrashing about, and Wave jumped in as well, taking out his long sword and stabbing with ferocity into the skull, cracking it and destroying the brain. The beast, now totally dead, slumped over with a boom, shaking the earth briefly.

"Woah.." Wave said without thought, letting it slip out from his shock of killing his first Danger Beast on land.

"Great strike, Wave!" His uncle, drenched in blood and stomach fluid said, cleaning his massive knife while Wave struggled to get his longsword out of the skull, as the tightness of the bone was like a vice grip on his weapon.

"Thanks!" he said, finally pulling his sword back with all the force he could muster and nearly losing his balance, stumbling back in the grass, being caught by his uncle's hand.

"Man, this hunting sure is a mess." Genji said, noticing all the blood and guts he was soaked in.

"Uhh.. yeah I guess," Wave said, getting a bit disgusted noticing his uncle's hand had left a blood stain on his sleeve and arm.

The two men went to work pulling the great behemoth in a net to the village via a nearby forested trail, an exhausting feat. However, all their exhaustion left when they noticed black smoke in the sky near the village, and even left the creature's remains behind to investigate in a hurry, frightened for good reason after the reports of bandits ravaging the countryside.

 **The Coast- Manta Bay Village**

The two men arrived at the hill at the end of the forested trail, overlooking the village to see chaos. Hut roofs burning, smoke everywhere, the old men of the village being effortlessly overrun by the pillagers on horseback, cutting them down with rapiers and spears. Wave and Genji rushed in, filled with fear and rage. Genji leapt up, pulling a young raider off his horse, knocking it over and crushing the bandit's legs, before stomping his head in, a disturbing crunch following every vicious kick.

Wave knew there was no time to waste practicing his sparring techniques and went for overkill. He unsheathed a large, blue-ish black blade from his belt, and screamed from the top of his lungs, mustering all the anger he could to channel into it: "GRAND CHARIOT!"

There was a seeming storm brewing around him as dust and dirt and rubble spun around him like a tornado, floating in mid-space, before the black and blue armored suit constructed itself around his frame, sprouting from the sword in an instant, also bringing with it a strange shield-like hovering cover, appearing like an almost transparent wing-span. One of the arms of the suit also held the blade, now even longer and broader, in its hands.

Some of the bandits had stopped rushing about to gaze upon this, suddenly in fear that they had to face an Imperial Arms wielder.

"Retreat!" one of the leaders shouted, preparing to depart on his horse.

"No!" Wave screamed in a fury, swooping alongside him in the blink of an eye and slicing his head cleaning off his shoulders, leaving his limp, decapitated body to be dragged from the back of his horse into the night.

The rest of the bandits froze.

Wave turned to them with the blue, emotionless eyes of the suit.

"Now, the rest of you started this- finish it."

They charged him blindly, slashing at him with bats and swords and axes, him dodging all their blows with enhanced speed, punching through one's chest, breaking another's neck, and propelling one through a burning hut with a body slam, aided by the flight boosters on his suit. Wave distracting the other looters allowed the villagers to focus on putting out the fires and saving what was left of their homes.

As Wave finished off the last looter by impaling him and lifting his dying body in the air with his sword, he noticed his father and mother tended to Genji, who had been speared through the side by a looter, and was leaning against a hut, clutching his bleeding side and gritting his teeth, his complexion paling.

"No!" Wave screamed with denial, his Grand Chariot armor fading away in an instant. He ran over through the chaotic village to his side. "Uncle!"

 **The Capital- Imperial Palace Courtyard**

Esdeath sat in the warm sun of the courtyard, taking in the cool breeze and pristine weather conditions. There were birds chirping, bees buzzing from flower to flower, children laughing in the distance, all as a servant had brought her a nice sorbet to sample from a local shop; all in all a picturesque day in the Capital.

But those things did not interest Esdeath at the moment. All she could focus on was the presence she had lured out with her being in the open. She could detect the presence of a killer watching her from a distance, possibly from an elevated vantage point. She suspected it was somebody sent from the Rebel Army, perhaps Night Raid, but she couldn't be certain.

She savored this feeling, knowing a fight was imminent, and could feel the anxiety and fear build up in whatever was watching her—they had to be fearful, they had been observing her too long; they were too hesitant. She especially looked forward to defeating whoever this assassin was and taking them to dungeons to torture them. But how to do it? Flaying them? Whipping them? Sitting them on a chair of spikes? Boiling them ali-? Then she stopped thinking.

She thought for a moment, thought she had lost them. 'Impossible.' She was shocked. But she realized they had retreated. The sensation of being monitored was gone. She had to admit she was disappointed, she was really looking forward to breaking their body and spirit, but she figured at least they were smart enough to know when a fight was too much.

'Maybe they went to get stronger,' she thought, 'A smart survival move for sure. At least next time we'll have a real fight.' She then licked the sorbet she had been brought, finally able to focus on the taste. "Huh, this is actually pretty good." She though out loud. "Maybe I'll treat the others to this when they return from their mission." Her Three Beasts had been sent to lure Night Raid out on a cruise ship called Ryuusen in the harbor. The plan had been mainly to take out some political enemies of the Minister, much to the chagrin of Liver, her most loyal, who despised the Prime Minister's politics but followed orders due to his devotion to Esdeath, whom he placed above his own personal goals. Luring Night Raid out was an added bonus, so via some spies they leaked information out among rebellion groups to get the word out about the assassination attempt.

'Maybe if my Beasts capture some of them alive, I can greet them… personally.' She grinned to herself, her fantasies of tormenting the rebels being even sweeter than the frozen treat.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter Four- Kill the Beasts_

 **The Capital- Imperial Palace Gardens**

She was pacing the open, breezy corridors, passing by the small, pretty blue flowers she was so fond of. The color matched her hair's and she appreciated the venom in their roots for being useful for torture- rubbing them in open wounds is akin to salting it.

She came out here often to reflect and calm herself. She rarely entered states of mourning or denial, but this was one of those times. She had been informed by a messenger from her army that her Three Beasts had been killed in action.

"Impossible!" she had shouted out loud, reading the official death report from the Imperial physician Dr. Stylish. She couldn't believe it. Her strongest, most loyal friends and soldiers had been killed by the Night Raid.

She was more determined than ever to crush them. They had taken her closest companions from her and she would not rest until Najenda, her old peer, and her subordinates had to be mopped up from the floors and walls of the Imperial torture chambers.

Esdeath smiled with sinister intent, her eyes telling a different story, narrowed with rage and focus. She buried her feelings of loss and crushing sadness in her characteristically cold and bitter exterior, betraying no hint of weakness or remorse at having not personally overseen the mission.

Luckily, her Beasts had been able to claim the life of one of the stronger Night Raid traitors, a former soldier, the Hundred Man-Slayer Bulat. She could at least find a true comfort in that thought.

 **The Capital- Imperial Military Graveyard**

The three were buried in standard servicemen graves right beside each other, not distinguishable from the others by anything but the different letters carved into each one.

'They deserve better than this.' Esdeath thought to herself as the High Imperial Priest lowered their caskets into the ground and gave them a final prayer for a peaceful ascension to the afterlife.

Esdeath scoffed internally. 'Peace? My Beasts would have none of that. Their souls will go screaming into the night, never resting until their enemies have been burned from the face of the Earth like a blemish.'

The funeral was attended by several high lords and important military officials and politicians, all of whom besides Esdeath were mandated to attend. Not that she wasn't, but she was truly there out of respect. She detected an approach from her peripheral vision, and turned to face the boy Emperor, the fat and self-satisfied Prime Minister Honest, and a younger tan-skinned man with a lean, muscular build, a somewhat handsome face, and lilac hair, with an X-shaped marking across his face. Not a scar, but skin paler than the rest. Like a birthmark. She was curious as to who this was but he had an air of familiarity about him.

"Ah, General Esdeath! So good to see you again, but under such shameful circumstances." The young boy greeted her cordially.

"Thank you, your grace. It is truly unfortunate, but this is the way of the world. They were not strong enough and therefore perished." She knew it to be true to her ideology, but it still stung to admit to herself.

"Err, I might interrupt Esdeath, but I do believe it's been some time since you've met my son Syura." The Prime Minister interjected politely, gesturing to the young man to his right.

Syura grinned, full of himself, which immediately put a damper on Esdeath's perception.

"It has been a while, General." He said, "I see you've—grown since I last saw you a few years ago." Syura said distracted by Esdeath's filled-out physique.

Esdeath noticed his snide comment and looked unamused as usual.

"I see you've grown older but remain just a boy, young Syura, from what I remember of your vague impact." She grinned at seeing his upset expression at this insult, and the Prime Minister grimaced as well.

"My son is my heir, and of the most robust character." He put his arm around his son.

"Uh, well, I see you two have some history, but I actually came to introduce you at this trying time to see if you would consider Syura a potential suitor." The naïve and unaware boy smiled.

Syura briefly hung his jaw agape and eyes widened in shock and disapproval, looking at his father as if to say 'Why didn't you tell me before? You can't be serious.' The Prime Minister was equally confused, and Esdeath's eyes too widened in surprise and she was not exactly enthused.

She spoke first, being the assertive woman she was: "I appreciate the kind gesture, Emperor, despite the poor timing at a funeral," she could see he realized his mistake.

"Oh, General, I'm so sorry, I should've realized you'd not be in the mood to think about a possible husband at a funeral for your fallen comrades-"

Esdeath cut him off, the only woman probably to do this to the Emperor openly and get away with it. "It has nothing to do with the timing, really." She calmly explained, as if explaining something as trivial as basic grammar, "But I frankly do not think the Minister's son fits my strict list of qualities."

The Prime Minister interjected, taking offense that any woman would reject his son. "General, with all due respect, for you to insult my family to my face and imply you are too good for my son is preposterous! Syura has many women jumping at the chance to be his."

"Well then, he really shouldn't have a problem finding a match, then." She silenced the Minister, knowing he was powerful, but would never dare cross her.

"It's okay, father." Syura said calmly, "I don't think it would have been good for me, either."

Esdeath had internally noted his reputation for strength and that he was a fine-looking man of around the same age, but again his smile left little to be desired. His smile registered as either fake or arrogant depending on the minute, and sometimes was downright menacing and deranged if he was in the right mood. Definitely not something to remind her of anything but her contempt for most people. Syura was also far too pig-headed for her, and while she usually would see this as a challenge to be dominated, these qualities just wound up making Syura not worth the trouble of rearing in.

In turn, Syura was not blind. He could see Esdeath was a very attractive young woman, but again, her icy persona completely overshadowed any animal instinct toward her. He knew Esdeath was ruthless and domineering, and was, by some margin, even stronger than him. In his view, people were _his_ to toy with, not the other way around. 'If I'm going to spend time with a woman,' he thought to himself, 'I don't intend to spend half of it kissing her feet and being beat by her.'

He softened it when he actually spoke: "I certainly don't intend to be kept on a leash, figuratively _or_ literally, by the Empire's ice queen. And I don't think she'd have it any other way." Syura sauntered off, having got the final word in, confident in his wit.

Ironically, the two had many similar qualities, not just limited to their bluntness or intentions to subjugate those weaker than them, but it was those exact qualities that made them incompatible. Esdeath wore a frown at being insulted to her face but kept it in for the sake of not causing too much turmoil at the funeral of her friends. She could save the violence for later.

"Uh, I apologize, General. That did not go as I had hoped." The boy hung his head, hoping he had not angered his strongest ally.

"Not at all, your grace. The fault is his own." Esdeath responded calmly.

"My Syura is—a very proud young man. I apologize for his indiscretion." The Prime Minister bowed his head to Esdeath and sulked away, realizing he may have probed her too much for one encounter.

Esdeath said nothing to him as he passed.

Esdeath noticed Great General Budo's cutting glare from across the funeral, mandated to be there no doubt. He had always hated traitors to the Empire, even good men like Liver, and disagreed with Esdeath being allowed to save Liver from punishment for disobeying orders, giving him an even more prestigious line of work as a special forces assassin.

Esdeath approached him to talk, but he avoided her, slipping away to somewhere else. They did not have much in common besides for their rank. He fought for the Empire due to familial pride and undying loyalty to the ideals of the old Empire. She fought because it serviced her appetite for warfare.

Esdeath shifted topics in her mind. She had been thinking that to truly avenge the deaths of her compatriots, she would need more strong Imperial Arms users such as they were, and decided to send word to her army to recruit more for a special elite unit to be commanded by her personally. She had heard word that an Imperial Arms, once thought to be lost to time, had resurfaced on the coast in a small town, as well as the Imperial Arms of flight being used by a school teacher in a recently raided village, and so decided to seek out those users in addition to the known users in service to the Empire already.

 **The Coast- Manta Bay Village**

Wave was on the forested path. He had found the Danger Beast he and Genji had hunted had been mostly devoured by other creatures by the time he had been able to return that day, and there was not enough meat to feed everyone in the village as they had planned. Genji was still in critical care from his injuries the previous night, but was now conscious enough to speak. Wave came into the village, hanging his head, dragging what was left of the beast into the village to the fire pit to roast it.

The look on the village elders said it all- some of them knew they would starve, giving up their shares of the meat to the young ones so they could grow strong. The bandits had taken or destroyed everything- the crops and grains, their food in cabinets; nothing was spared. Wave had killed the main organizers but some had still slipped away into the plains. Even if they were killed by Danger Beasts or Imperial soldiers scouting the area, which was very likely, the goods they stole were still lost- the beasts would have ruined them and the soldiers would just take them off the bodies of the bandits, assuming whatever village they belonged to would've been wiped out already. They _would have_ , if not for Wave.

He entered his home, still in a depressed state after the last day's losses, slowly dragging his feet as he walked. His mother, solemnly sitting in the kitchen- with broken windows from the raid and some charred cabinets- was reading a new letter with a fresh seal from the Imperial Capital. Her constitution got progressively more chipper as she read it. As Wave was about to enter his room he heard her shout his name.

He rushed out, expecting the worst, "What is it?!" he shouted frantically, shaking with fearful anticipation.

"Wave- this is a letter from the Capital. It says here you are being summoned to join an elite military squad of Imperial Arms users! It says there is a lot of gold and silver in it to compensate you, but that you are expected to board the next ship and head there immediately. It even has the signature of a high-ranking general!" she showed him the letter, displaying as a signature a strange symbol, a sort of personal insignia, like a stylized Y with a few extra markings, and the name "ESDEATH."

He immediately recognized her as a feared and widely respected Imperial general, and his mouth formed a huge smile as he realized this could be the solution to his problem.

 **The Capital- Imperial Military Graveyard**

Later that evening, Esdeath returned to the graves, to personally say goodbye to her loyal Three. The cemetery was usually closed at this hour but open to a high-ranking official such as herself. The warm orange and reddish glow of the setting sun illuminated the well-kept grounds beautifully.

She laid three bouquets of roses from the Imperial Palace's florist on the grave sites. She reflected on how, despite the fact that they were dead because they were weaker than she thought, she would miss them regardless and work to avenge their deaths until she herself took her last breath.

As she laid the bouquets out upon each grave, she remembered how she'd found each member. She remembered hearing of a lord's young son and his horrific penchant for violence- dismembering, molesting, and violating servants and their corpses and collecting the faces from still-living victims, petrified with fear. "The World's Worst Sadist" they called him. She smiled at the name and went to greet him and prove how much worse she was. She showed him how you could include medicine not to sedate the person but ensure they would not pass out from shock halfway through, and how to salt and irritate the bleeding wounds as he cut to ensure maximum pain (fresh sea salt was most effective, she'd found). He was in awe of her precision and delicacy with the blade and swore fealty to her that very day, promising to one day live up to and maybe even surpass her sadistic streak. Nyau was her young protégé in the art of torture.

She also remembered hearing of the strongest man in the Empire's harvest regions. How he could swing an axe so swiftly and forcefully he could completely whack through half a tree. Esdeath went to show him how with the right technique, brute force wasn't even necessary and how she could slice through the base of a tree with her rapier as though it were a melon. Daidara was in awe of her, and also bent the knee to her, realizing he was bested by her in strength, but desired to one day even surpass her under her tutelage. She smiled at the thought, thinking of how she'd never allow herself to be bested by a subordinate, but admired his efforts anyway.

Finally, Liver. He was her favorite, though she never let on. He was the only one who did not only join her in awe of her skills for torture or brute strength or even her expertly crafted strategies, but for who she was, the side of her she rarely let out. He never tried to equal or surpass her even, only being content with serving her to the best of his abilities. He often would smile at her with a faint warm glow, so much so Esdeath never had the heart, despite her blunt nature, to tell him he was the worst cook she'd ever met, just because he enjoyed it so much. When she saw him, weak and pathetic in the dungeon, just waiting to die and totally broken, and she told him to look up at her, and she saw his eyes light up as she reached her hand out and smiled with genuine compassion and asked him to join her ranks, she knew he probably was in love with her, and that's why he stayed so loyal, despite his hatred for those she sometimes served and his initial distaste for her sadism, which he grew to be used to and even indulge in from time to time.

But he could never be with her.

He did not have the pure innocent smile she desired, being too old and jaded by war and the corruption he witnessed firsthand, and was also twice her age, meaning she could never truly outrank him in every facet. But she did smile knowing he may have found peace, and could not wait to see him again if there was a life beyond the current.

She left the gravesite, pondering her new group of subordinates and how'd they fare in comparison. 'They probably won't hold a candle to my Beasts, but I hear they are a smattering of eccentrics, so this should be a fun experiment.' She chuckled to herself as she left behind her past, burying her losses deep inside, never to be spoken of again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Apologies for the long wait, I've been very busy as of late, but I'll try to get back to the more consistent updates.**

 _Chapter Five- Kill the Journey_

 **The Cove- Manta Bay Village**

Wave stood in his room, packing his bags for his several days about to be spent sailing towards the capital. He was excited at the prospect of serving alongside seasoned fighters and soldiers in the service of a greater cause- bringing peace upon the Empire and ensuring that the vigilantes such as Night Raid who would terrorize the people of his nation would be eradicated.

Wave exited the room, throwing his duffel over his shoulder and entering the kitchen. He faced his father and mother seated in the kitchen, his mother looking up at him, her eyes clearly red from welling up and face flushed though she tried not to show it. His father had a somewhat solemn look but spoke very proudly.

"I'm so honored that you will give our family a good name in the Capital, rubbing elbows with the high-ranking generals and politicians. I feel like we did a pretty good job raising you then." Wave's father said with a wide smile.

"It's a shame you have to leave so soon after having gone to war already but I'm so happy to know you'll be a hero of the Capital, not just our village. We're insignificant compared to what the Capital has to offer." She tried to rationalize so her son did not feel guilt for accepting the offer.

"No you're not." He furrowed his brow, frowning, sitting to face them at their level. "I'm only keeping what I need to survive on in the Capital. The rest I'm sending back here so you all can recuperate from what we've all suffered. It will take a few days so try to keep the rations you have left-" Wave was cut off by his mother choking up.

"You have such a good heart, Wave. I just don't want this to be the last time we see you."

Wave smiled warmly, "It won't be. I promise."

"You can't promise things like that."

 **The Cove- Manta Bay Village: Genji's Home**

Wave kneeled beside his bed-ridden uncle, in a bit of a haze since his wounds were becoming infected.

Wave was misty eyed seeing his strong and sturdy uncle in this pathetic condition, barely clinging to life and unable to speak.

"Uncle, I know you probably can't hear me right now. I hope in some way you can understand why I must leave you. I wish I could stay and look after the village with you when you get better." Wave stopped 'If he gets better,' he thought, his head lowering, trying to hide his lack of composure. "I must go though, so you all can continue to thrive here." He took his uncle's sweaty, limp hand "I will fight for you. Everyone of course, but you especially. I was too late to protect you, even with all my power. Even with an Imperial Arms. I failed you…. I will never let that happen again. When we see each other again, I will be stronger. You will be stronger, too."

Wave stood, taking a last respectful nod to his sickly uncle, leaving the darkened bedroom covered in mosquito nets and went back to his own home.

His mother had finally composed herself when he got back and gave him a large sack of fresh caught fish. He took the heavy, smelly bag and asked "What is this for? You all need to keep this here!"

"No! It's rude if you don't bring something to offer them! In the Capital things are different, there are certain expectations and customs! We'll subside for the next few days until the gold comes!" she shouted, smiling falsely.

Wave sulked and merely nodded and reluctantly took it.

"Oh, and if you ever see a capital girl in need of cheering up, step up and help her out. You may get lucky that way and it's the polite thing to do!" she smiled widely.

Wave smirked. "Alright mom. I'll try to remember that."

 **Later- Tetsuo Bay Port**

Later that afternoon, Wave stood on the docks facing the small delivery vessel he had finessed his way onto using his Imperial document and the fearsome reputation of the letter's author as a means to get on unquestioned. The smell of the fresh sea air and fish onboard may have been off-putting to some but to Wave it merely reminded him of home. He was wearing his best Imperial Navy garb, a dark blue jacket with a soft white collar, with a white undershirt featuring a simple blue line down the stark white torso, with a red collar featuring a white anchor emblem. He thought it was the very thing to let him blend in with the city folk of the Capital.

He was, even now, a bit anxious, something he was ashamed to admit to himself. He remembered the first time he was to set out to sea on this very dock just three years before. He stood, jaw agape at the massive vessel before him, all in beautiful brown wood with the Imperial Navy anchor emblem on the massive blue and white sails, bustling with experienced men of the sea, all lifting crates and tying knots down. He had never seen such efficiency, especially not on the small fishing boats he was accustomed to.

Keno had put his hand on the short boy's shoulders. "I remember when I first saw these boats, too. I couldn't believe the majesty of them. The power, the speed. It was overwhelming." He turned Wave towards him. "Do not fear, Wave. The sea may be harsh and unforgiving but there's a serene beauty to it. Our souls are tied to it. Use that as grounding for yourself. Channel its fury, but also its calm, its reservation into yourself and you will learn to respect it, bend it to your will. You will survive."

He thought about that now. He stopped gawking and straightened up, putting on a serious face and hustled up the ramp onto the ship.

Hours later, Wave was gazing out upon the sunset of the sea. A grizzled older sailor named Gage approached him.

"So, you're pretty young. You seem so chipper. Where are you headed? None of the other guys told me yet." he inquired, wiping his chalky, rough hands with a rag after scraping barnacles from some old oars for the lifeboats.

Wave didn't want to brag, but he didn't see any reason to lie. "I was summoned to be a part of a unit of Imperial Arms users in the Capital by the General Esdeath herself." He turned, smiling.

The sailor's eyes widened with shock, but he was also quite impressed. "Well, I heard she's quite young and beautiful for a general of the Empire."

"That all you heard?" Wave asked playfully.

Gage smirked, "I wish that was all I knew. Then at least I could rub one out."

Wave laughed at the crass joke, something that he loved about freedom of being on the sea. He could never joke like that in his village, the elders would scoff in disgust and his mother would give him a good smack.

Gage thought to himself. 'I would usually just steal the Arms and pawn it off but this kid seems good enough. Plus, I'd never want to piss of the Empire's most brutal sadist. Poor kid doesn't even know what's gonna hit him. He doesn't even know what the Capital is like. It's just nice, aloof rich city people to him. The things I've done for a bit of cash to tickle the fancy of some high lord or lady.' Gage shivered at the thought and quickly made some small talk and went back to his work. None of the men had the heart to warn the blissfully unaware Wave just what kind of the city the Capital could be if he wasn't careful. But they figured he was under the protection of the Imperial military so he might not have that much to worry about. Or maybe beneath his happy-go-lucky demeanor he was one of the dangerous ones…

 **The Capital- Forested Outskirts**

Wave had been dropped off at a nearby port and bid farewell to the sailors who had been so hospitable to him, who seemed rather dour about his leaving for some reason.

He had trekked along the shady trail, covered by the large, beautiful trees on the outskirts of the city. He followed the map to where his rendezvous point was with some Imperial guards.

"Halt fisherman! Who permitted you to come this way? This road is supposed to be for military members only!" one shouted at him, pointing a rifle fashioned with a bayonet.

Wave threw up his hands, nervously smiling, producing his letter, as he had at the first blockade at the start of the back-trail to the capital.

"No no! I'm a member of the Imperial Navy! I've come here on an official order from General Esdeath!"

The guards seemed confused, "Yeah right!" the lead shouted, rushing forward and snatching the letter from him and skimming it intensely.

"Oh my—I-I'm so sorry sir, right this way!" He said, escorting the clearly out-of-his-element country boy to the front gates of the Capital, giving him directions to the massive palace at the city's center frantically to get this potential equal of Esdeath away from him as soon as he could.

"Thanks! Hope to see you guys out sometime!" he said cheerily, to their confusion, letting them keep some fish to cook with later.

'What's he so goddamn happy about? Doesn't he know what a huge pain it is to work for that psycho? Or that he sticks out like a sore thumb?' they all thought collectively.

Wave saw the huge wood gates slowly come open, and had the sunlight coming from within the capital briefly blind. He then gazed upon the city in all its glory; the path leading down into a bustling, congested metropolis right at his feet. He took a deep breath, grinned, and strolled carefree into the streets, trying to ignore the many eyes on his strange appearance betraying his origins.

'Huh, I guess they're all in awe of an Imperial man of the sea strolling around the streets without a posse.'


	6. Chapter 6

**I know it's been some time since an update and I apologize. School is back in session and that means lots of homework and extracirriculars that eat up time like crazy. I'm trying to get back to about a chapter a week.**

 _Chapter Six- Kill the Jaegers_

 **The Capital- Imperial Palace Gates**

Wave strode up to the Palace gates with confidence, before the standard "Halt! Who are you!" he was accustomed to at this point was shouted in his face by a guard.

Wave produced his documentation and he was shocked to see that same pale complexion wash over the guards' faces as they then bowed their heads, apologizing for questioning him, and guiding him into the courtyard, passing him off to another guard.

'Well, they sure know how to treat their guests right.' He thought, smiling to himself. He had assumed this would be the hard work he was accustomed to on the sea, but so far in the Capital he felt a bit pampered. 'It's probably because I'm from the Navy.' He smiled, still proud of his heritage.

The guard whispered to the other "This one's from out of town, clearly, he's just some dumb hick kid but he's here for General Esdeath."

The second one gulped heavily upon hearing this and his brows drooped in worry. "Here, sorry, what was your name again?"

"Wave, sir."

"Right, Wave. Nyle here is going to escort you to the East wing of the palace. You all will be meeting there."

Wave smiled brightly with anticipation.

Nyle made some small talk with him- So you're new here, where you from? Oh, the Coast. How long you've been here? Oh, just arrived this morning, huh?

The usual. Wave could hardly pay attention, though he felt bad as he thought Nyle realized this, as he eventually stopped talking for the last few minutes of their walk.

Wave didn't want to come off like some pretentious kid who thought he was hot shit because he was in the company of high-ranking officers, but he couldn't really focus. His brain was racked with nervousness, excitement, and anticipation at meeting the rest of his highly-qualified team. And, of course, the feared General.

He also couldn't help but think of how he even came into this possession of his- the Grand Chariot.

He remembered Keno teaching him to awkwardly pilot the thing around on the ship.

"Steady, steady, Wave! Focus your energy!" he had said, gesturing with his hands to come down, as Wave slightly levitated off the ground, losing his balance as he was not used to the feeling.

"That's it! That's it!" he said as Wave final leveled out and gazed at him.

"Now what?" he said, excited.

"Now let your mind's eye guide this suit. It will attempt to push you to your limits, but control it, it's one of the last Teigus ever made and so one of the most advanced. More so than the prototype suit it's based on. It's easy to let it take over. Now clear that power from your mind. Now tell it to fly. Picture yourself gliding on the horizon." Keno told him calmly.

Wave closed his eyes, picturing it, before a surge of energy rushed through his body seemingly from nowhere, allowing him to speed unfathomably off the deck off the ship and out onto the ocean, Keno quickly lost sight of him. "WAVE!" he screamed in terror.

Wave felt the suit slowly taking over control and going faster and faster. Wave panicked, he hadn't completely let the anxiety clear from his mind beforehand and now he was paying for it, panting heavily as it slowly gained more momentum and he flailed about awkwardly, dipping into the water several times. Wave finally pictured diving in solidly, and reined in the suit, allowing it to submerge, and in the darkness and pressure of the sea water, he started to sink. But he merely shut his eyes and held his breath, picturing shooting up like a spring.

He then felt the burst of energy come back, but this time it took him into the air as he wanted, and he stayed in an aerodynamic position, arms at his side, head forward like an arrow, and slowly turned back to the ship and came barreling down through the air, creating huge cloudbursts as he did. Keno saw this and eyes widening, bracing for impact, before Wave suddenly threw his arms back and his feet forward, allowing the suit to slow to a stop and merely levitate above the deck, and he lowered himself to.

Wave then collapsed over from the sudden exhaustion, and Keno came to his aid, cradling his head for a second and laughing, impressed "I warned you- it takes a lot out of a person. But you did well. You can control this thing easier than most for a first-timer. It really did choose you."

Wave smiled, radiating with positive energy, as Nyle turned to say "Here, down the hall is the conference room."

Nyle departed, leaving Wave to walk down the corridor alone, still with his map of the palace if he got lost later. He checked the door on the map and found it before him, a standard white and gold door common in Imperial décor.

'Well, here I am. My new teammates are waiting for me behind this door.' He remembered his father had told him to make a strong first impression, and to not let anyone walk all over him. Wave did want to be cordial though and opted for neutral but proud entrance:

He threw open the door- "Good afternoon! I've come from the Imperial Navy-"

Wave froze and swallowed his next words. Every bit of positive energy he had been oozing early dried up and disappeared. He immediately was terrified.

Sitting at a large conference table was a huge, muscled man. He looked more like a shaved Grizzly, though. He had to be about 6'6" or 6'8", just sitting he was clearly taller than most. He had a strange, eerie mask with emotionless blank eye sockets with crosses in them, with black marks around them and a strange breathing-like apparatus. He was shirtless, and had a massive claw scar across his chest and he looked like a man so strong and sturdy he could break a human neck like a twig.

Wave immediately screamed "So sorry! I think I have the wrong room!" and bolted out, slamming it behind him, laying against it panting, as though he could stop that behemoth from getting through if he decided to.

'Holy shit! I must've accidentally found the torture chamber by mistake!' Wave double-checked, and the room was labeled as the conference room, and his heart sank and mind raced realizing the towering hulk he may have just offended is actually his teammate. He was honestly considering going back home, hoping futilely his mother wouldn't be furious if he did so.

Wave skulked back to the room and said nothing, sitting at the opposite end of the table, while the terrifying brutish guy just stared at him ominously.

Soon, all his other teammates arrived, one after the other they proved even stranger.

First, a strange but cute younger girl with black hair and a sword, who sat across from him, who then freaked when Wave simply approached her, obsessed he might take her cookies.

Then a very cute and sweet-seeming girl of around the same age with a little dog-type creature at her side. She was maybe a little official but seemed alright, but she for some reason had metallic arms. Whether they were actually her arms or just armor Wave wasn't sure. She sat beside him.

But before she did take a seat, the girl then bowed and introduced a flamboyant surgeon in glasses and labcoat into the room, whose entrance with enhanced by falling rose petals, who immediately began to not-so-subtly hit on Wave to his upset.

Finally filed in a normal-seeming man, a little older than Wave, with blonde hair, a feather in his hair, a metal collar piece with an insignia, and white robes, carrying with him a book.

Then he was shocked that the mountain of a man he had fled from quietly approached him and offered tea he had made to everyone. He explained he was just very shy to Wave to his confusion and shock and introduced himself as Bols of the incineration squad.

Shortly thereafter, another person entered the room. It was clearly a young woman, but all they could notice was the blue hair and creepy skull-like face mask and the fact she didn't seem to belong there or speak.

Wave decided to take initiative, as a leader does.

"Hey, who are you?"

She approached the head of the table where Wave and the black-haired cookie girl were seated.

"What are you all doing here?!" the woman shouted in an aggressive, deep tone.

Wave began to stand to confront this strange and unnecessarily rude woman "Hey! We were all told to assemble here-" Wave suddenly lost all breath and felt an intense pain, somehow blunt and sharp, as a boot heel from the woman slammed full force into torso, where the stomach meets the sternum, sending him flying into a wall on the opposite end of the table, smacking his head against it and falling as he groaned. "Assassins are among the traitors. Don't ever drop your guard." The masked woman warned. She then began immediately attacking the other members of the team, but Wave could hardly notice as he was still processing and recovering from the intense pain of the kick, which seemed to completely knock the air out of him.

When he finally did sit up with a groan, he saw the mask had been taken off and before him was General Esdeath, he only knew per Bols' shouting it out as he sat up, and also her reputation- not only for eccentricity and sadism, but also beauty. He was shocked to see his incredibly strong attacker was actually equally endearing, with very striking blue eyes and smile that was wicked, knowing, and attractive all at once. Not that he could really register that completely at the moment, still reeling from the pain and the completely strange encounter. They then were able to finally get to know each other after sharing in that very unconventional ice-breaker.

He greeted the teacher, whose name was Run. He was soft-spoken and gentle, and Wave was so happy to find that he was as normal as he seemed on the surface.

"Oh, so you don't want any cookies?" the black-haired girl approached him, one in her teeth already.

"Uh… no." he said, almost half-laughing.

"Oh, in that case- I'm Kurome." She held out her hand for him to shake.

"Okay." He said, smiling, now that he knew she wasn't _totally_ crazy, "I'm W-"

"Wave. I know. You said that."

"Oh."

"So, you are the one from the Imperial Navy? Who discovered the Grand Chariot?" the commander asked, raising her eyebrow at him.

"Uh, yes, ma'am." He straightened his uniform with a grin.

"Hmph. Kind of disappointing. That kick took way too much out of you. We'll have to do something about that." She said with more than a dash of judgement, not even looking him in the eyes and looking to the side.

Wave's eyes widened in shock and Kurome giggled about it. "So.. she really is cold-hearted." She muttered to Run and Wave.

"And that's a terrible pun." Wave turned to her.

Run chuckled at that.

"Not to worry. We'll start training tomorrow, so that will either make or break you." She said, smiling menacingly as she was turned from them, though it didn't do anything to stop Wave from heavily gulping and his spine chilling.

 **The Capital- Imperial Tailor's Office**

Esdeath had split the team up shortly thereafter, telling them that she had commissioned some matching suits for them to wear for a welcoming party the Prime Minister insisted upon throwing for them that evening.

'Damn, things move fast in the capital.' Wave had thought of it.

He, Run, Bols, and, to his chagrin, Dr. Stylish had been sent to get their suits from one tailor, and Esdeath, Seryu, and Kurome to the other.

Seryu had blushed in embarrassment at having to get changed in front of other women and them in front of her, but Kurome had said it was okay and not to be too conscious about it, or the commander may get upset by her cold feet.

Wave had been walking and thinking about the commander. He was finally able to register after the initial shock of their violent meeting how attractive the commander was. He tried to jog these thoughts out of his mind, as they were a bit invasive, and he thought 'If she even gets an inkling from me that I would look at her in any way but professional it could be my head. Or worse...' he got shivers and then was distracted by the tailor.

"So you're 5'11"?" he asked.

"Uh, yes. Sorry, I was thinking."

"About what?"

He had to save face. "Just a bit of nerves. This is a big meeting, and it's all happening in one day."

"Oh, don't worry. These Imperial types aren't so intimidating. They're actually a little skiddish." Said Bols warmly.

"Easy for you to say." Wave scoffed, seeing the giant man, who intimidated the tailor.

"You'll be quite the challenge, I'll have to use a lot of fabric on you." He said, causing Bols to feel a bit self-aware and blush under his fearsome mask.

"Don't fret, country boy. You just stick with me—same with you, teacher man. I'll show you the right way to do things." Dr. Stylish said with a hint of eroticism to his timbre, winking behind his glasses.

Wave gritted his teeth and Run's eyes widened. "Uh—thank you—for the offer." Run said, trying to be polite as he could but barely masking his awkwardness. Dr. Stylish was about to say how cute a nervous guy was but he was cut off.

"Take your shirt off, I need to fit you." The tailor said professionally, and Wave froze up, but didn't want to waste time, but couldn't help but feel Stylish's lustful, yet still calculating and clinical eyes just scanning him up and down. He practically could sense the guy licking his lips even though he didn't. He didn't have to.

Bols was next, though the doctor couldn't care less. 'Huge, too husky and broad and jaded. And that huge scar needs some fixing up. He'd be an interesting project but definitely not my type.' Said Stylish, who preferred the youthful, boyish looks of his other comrades, who desperately wished to just be out of there to escape him.

It wasn't just the lust. Run had been in the capital long enough to hear about how often the "best surgeon in the Empire" had violated Hippocratic oath for his own curiosity's sake.

 **The Capital- Imperial Palace Garden**

It was sunset now, and the team had reassembled in their sharp, slimming black and white suits and ties, with the red and orange glow perfectly illuminating them.

They stood beside the botanical gardens in the Imperial Palace courtyard, in one of the many marble and stone halls with white pillars.

Wave was standing between Kurome and Seryu holding her Coro, with Bols and Stylish behind him, with Stylish cupping his hand over his own cheek as though constantly in admiration of something, and Run to the far right of Wave.

"Good, now that we're all here, we can go to the party." There was no hesitation or moseying about with Esdeath. Everything was efficient and no time was wasted.

"Did I surprise you earlier? I figured a normal greeting might be boring." She said, almost like surveying the group for approval of her methods.

Wave saw an opportunity to seem strong and confident, as he was already parallel to her at the front of the pack. "I'm used to rough situations." He said, coming off more like a declaration than the nonchalant comment he intended. 'Too strong,' he noted internally though no one seemed to notice, probably all thinking of how to make the best impression on the commander. 'Hopefully not too late for me,' he thought, remembering earlier her first impression of him as a punching bag.

"In fact, thank you for the lesson!" Seryu added, kind of saving Wave's comment. Wave had noticed Seryu standing next to him, and thought of her as a girl he's sure his mother would like- strong, independent but loyal, sweet-natured, and as maternal with her pet/weapon as she would be with any child.

"All right then," the commander said with a smirk, tilting her cap, which matched her usual one except it was black for her outfit. "We have a party to attend, _after_ we meet with the emperor, of course."

Wave tightened up and let slip out "What? We're already meeting him?!"

"Yeah, for the first day this seems a little fast-paced." Run chimed in.

"I believe in getting annoying things out of the way, first." She turned back, not quite looking at them but sporting her sly grin, as thought to say 'So be sure not to prove an annoyance.'

"But before that, Lady Esdeath," the doctor said with a handsome smile, adjusting his fashionably-rimmed glasses, "What do we call ourselves?"

Esdeath grinned with a certain intensity at that, though none of them could see it, she audibly made an amused noise.

"We are a unique organization, ordered to mercilessly hunt and take down the atrocious traitors. We are the special police force…" as she said this, a menacing black crow circled, appearing to eyeball them as a predator does prey. Run thought how poetic this was.

"We are the Jaegers!" she proclaimed.

She turned to them. "Now enough small talk, let's get to that meeting."


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter Seven- Kill the Reception_

 **The Capital- Imperial Palace Balcony**

It was now practically nightfall, and the team was ascending the outer balconies overlooking the palace grounds and the Capital, about to enter the ballroom where their reception was taking place.

"It will be a short reception, then we shall return and we can have some of that seafood Wave has brought us." Esdeath said with authority, letting everyone know these formal events will be taken care of with the utmost efficiency so they can return to their actual work.

Wave was still thinking about the meeting they had with the emperor. They all kneeled before him and his counselors, the Prime Minister chief among them by his side, who spoke for the emperor mostly. It was awe-inspiring but also terrifying. The minister carried with him a certain presence that just emanated power and fear.

Esdeath did not seem to notice even, being very casual in her demeanor towards the Minister. 'She really is fearless,' he had thought, admiring her constitution during the whole ordeal, she strutted out of the room with confidence afterwards, even remarking what a boring task it was compared to her usual fare.

However, at the moment Wave was nervous, though he dare not show it. He was more nervous about the next evening than he was with any of the high lords that would attend the party.

The Minister had informed them their first mission would take place the following night, that their spies among the rebels had found a bandit camp on the outskirts of the city that has been stealing goods from local vendors as of late, and they will eradicate them come nightfall. Wave knew they as a team would have no issue, but he wanted to be able to stand out and really make up for his poor first impression with the commander.

 **The Imperial Palace- Grand Banquet Hall/Ballroom**

Wave stood in the corner, sipping on some cocktail he had picked up from a servant girl-disgusted when some buzzed high lord with a slur in his speech groped her shortly after and she was forced to pretend it was alright to save his face and her skin (literally)- while Kurome grabbed some hors d'oeuvres.

"Don't fill up on those, we're having a late meal after this. Maybe I can impress the commander with my cooking abilities. The fish were picked up at sea so they're probably not what she's used to." Wave spoke to her.

"Huh?" Kurome turned "You really seem bent on impressing her, why, you think she'll go for you?"

"Wha-? No!" Wave whisper-shouted, turning around so no one had heard Kurome, after he realized what she meant.

"Oh, so you think the commander is unattractive?"

"No. Now you're just mincing my words!" Wave said, frustrated.

"I'm just playing. But seriously, what's up?"

"Well of course I want to impress her. She's our boss now and I want to make up for that terrible show I made earlier. She kicked me across the room. She probably thinks she got the wrong guy."

"Maybe she did."

"WHA-?" Wave shouted in disbelief at how rude she was, attracting some eyes from the servants around them.

Kurome just smiled and patted him on the shoulder, "Geez, pipe down, Wave. You're high-strung. It's a party."

Wave sighed heavily, taking a final sip of his drink and wiping his mouth, before going to talk with Run and Bols about how bored he was with the whole thing.

"I think the general's had enough, too." Bols said, pointing out her dissatisfied expression as the Minister introduced her to his other advisors.

"She had enough before we even got here." Run corrected. "Don't worry, give it a few minutes, Wave. She'll call us out of here."

 **Imperial Palace- Dining Hall, East Wing**

"So how have you been spending your time in the Capital, General?" Seryu asked with genuine interest, while Kurome messed with Coro, teasing him with a bit of plant leaf that she'd pull away before he could grab it. Dr. Stylish stood aside, probably in deep thought about how he'd much rather be experimenting or doing something chic.

"Hunting and torturing, mostly. And some researching." Esdeath smiled and tilted her head down, shielding her eyes and she fiddled with her wine glass. "But at the moment.." she said, resting it. She clasped her hands together, as if planning something, and stared ahead with a stare so serious one could swear she had switched gears into a hunting mode: "I'm interested in falling in love."

"Love?!" both the girls at the table shouted, both in total disarmament over what she had just said. Kurome even turned away from playing with Coro. Esdeath smiled at this, pleased she had totally caught them off guard. Even domination in that aspect made her feel great.

"On another note, there is an Imperial Arms that is still in need of a user?"

Seryu began to explain how she had come into possession of the scissor-shaped Teigu, which had yet to find a suitable match.

Esdeath glared at her, with a knowing smile "If it stays that way the minister will merely add it to his collection. That would be a waste, wouldn't it?"

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Bols and Wave were hard at work.

Wave was pleased that they used his seafood for the main course, but was in shock that Bols was the better chef of the two. Bols stood beside him, splaying a fish open delicately, with a bright pink apron with a nice bear face on it—ironically, him being more a bear than a man on Wave's first impression. "Oh, Wave." He said.

Wave immediately looked up, still a bit skittish around him. "Huh?"

"Don't put in the spinach yet or it will become too tender. It goes last." He said kindly, not scolding Wave but merely informing him.

"Oh, sorry." Wave said. "By the way, I'm glad you turned out to be a kind person." Wave smiled at him.

At that, Bols turned from him in shame, tensing up as he cut down hard on the fish head. "Wave—I'm—not a good person…"

Wave could sense genuine uneasiness about the topic so he said "Well, uh, this does seem like a good dish, but I'm unfamiliar with it."

Bols then lit up again, snapped back to the moment, and explained to him his family's recipe history. Wave was just glad to see Bols back to his normal, cheery state so he could ignore how unsettling he still was to behold.

When the dinner was finally serve, they all sat down together, Esdeath at the head of course, with Seryu, Wave, and Run on her righ side, and Kurome, Dr. Stylish, and Bols to her left—though he didn't seem to actually have any of his food until after—Esdeath took note. Wave was upset he was sat directly across from Stylish, who winked at him as they met eyes across the table.

Run had just returned from his room studying, when Seryu excitedly informed him that the general was planning a tournament the next day so they could select an Imperial Arms user.

"Is that so?" Run inquired, raising a brow.

"Yes it is. I'll have some flyers scribed first thing in the morning." She said, looking down 'Who knows? Maybe my love will be among the participants?'

As the dinner went on, Wave was increasingly intrigued by Esdeath's odd manner of addressing her subordinates. She at once seemed invested in their well-being and comfort, but carried with her this aloofness and constant state of boredom that befit her public persona.

'She's a true enigma.' He thought.

"You know Wave, this is some very nice fish you've caught for us. You have experience with fishing I presume?" she asked, after tasting some.

"Uh—yes. I'm from the coast, so I have a lot of experience catching and prepping them."

"Ah, so you grew up near the ocean, and then joined the Navy? Not much of a change in venue."

Stylish and Seryu chuckled at her joke.

Wave smiled at her politely and said "I suppose not, commander."

'Outside the Capital, for certain. His clothes could've told me that.' Esdeath smiled, sipping some more wine.

Run immediately deduced that Esdeath was still fielding them all, testing their backgrounds and personalities to see which would be the best way to work with them, 'Or-' he thought, 'manipulate them.' Run was written off as a small-town teacher but knew much more than he let on about people.

Wave, in his naïveté, assumed she was merely trying to get to know them better as she effortlessly made her way round the table, bouncing from person to person naturally so as not to feel like she was just going in a circle ticking off points.

"I never asked, Wave," she said, coming back to him, "how old were you when you joined?" she persisted in getting to know a little more about him.

"Oh, I was 16, but about to turn 17."

"And you served for a three-year tour?"

"That's correct, ma'am."

Esdeath smirked, "You don't need to call me ma'am. It makes me feel like I'm old. Commander or general will be fine." She paused. "So you showed initiative from a young age? That's promising."

'Yes!' he thought, trying not to let on his excitement on possibly recouping his reputation with the general, letting out a nice smile but nothing too joyous.

'He has a decent smile, I guess. But that start date means he's about 19 or 20 now. So he's still a few years my junior. We'll see how this plays out.'

Esdeath continued on around the table, finding out about Seryu's reason for joining the Imperial police forces, Dr. Stylish's latest human experiments, Kurome's goal of finding her sister- the famed ex-Imperial assassin Akame- just to kill her (Wave went pale at that mention), Bols' talent for cooking (she appointed him the unofficial chef of the team, which he was all too happy to oblige), and Run's intellectual pursuits akin to her own. "You may be a useful secretary." She smiled, though Run seemed only complimented on the surface. 'Secretary?' he thought, 'That's a laugh.'

Wave, despite being pretty impressed by his new boss, could not help but be a little sickened by how much she enjoyed hearing about Stylish's inhumane experiments on vagrants and traitors in his lab, and Esdeath even suggested to him using no anesthetic, or even a drug to ensure his 'subjects' would stay awake, would improve results, which he genuinely seemed to consider.

'God, she's kind of batshit.' Wave thought, his eyes widening, which Stylish seemed to notice, winking at him so Wave turned to converse with the bubbly Seryu instead.

"So, Seryu, your dad was a policeman, too? I guess it runs in the family?" he said, smiling wide at her.

She blushed and responded as enthusiastically as always "Yeah! I've always wanted to be one since seeing him take down some thieves while we were on an outing when I was a girl. He inspired my passion for seeking justice." She hung her head. "But he was taken by some traitors in the night; cowardly people. Like those we are sworn to stop. They took my arms and my mentor- my second father- Ogre, as well."

Wave soured his expression, hoping to cheer her up. "That's repulsive. Don't worry, Seryu. We'll find the ones that did this to you and make them pay for how they've hurt you."

Seryu smiled, "Thank you, comrade. But me and Koro already got the one who did this. Koro made a nice meal out of her." Wave's eyes widened again, 'Okay, maybe she's not exactly the type I thought she was. But still, they took her arms so I suppose I'd be pretty happy if that were my enemy Koro ate.'

"Well, we still have some work to do." Wave patted her on the metal arm.

Seryu noticed, and spoke up "I can feel touch on these, thank to my patron, Dr. Stylish," she smiled up at him, to see him deep in discussion with Esdeath, "But they're still cold to others. I can never touch someone with a warm hand again." She again sombered, but turned to Wave as he spoke.

"I haven't noticed," he smiled warmly at her.

She blushed a bit and Koro nuzzled up to his leg and he began petting it.

"You're very good with words for someone so young," Seryu complimented him.

"Young? You look about the same age as me. Maybe younger?" Wave smiled, patting Koro.

Seryu giggled again, "No need for compliments. You're about 20 right? You were 17 three years ago?"

"Yeah."

"I'm 25. I joined the police about 5 years ago." she giggled.

Wave was stunned. How could she be older than him AND the commander (by all reports he'd heard Esdeath was not much older than himself) and seem so full of life and innocent?

"Wow. No compliment, you're just a lot more jubilant than most women I know."

Wave decided, 'I don't have much of a problem with older women. As long as they're not my mom's age or anything.'

Wave's mind was taken back to the village. So much had happened in his first day he'd almost forgotten. 'I hope Genji is okay. I will return, uncle. I will avenge you here in the capital.'

"What's wrong? You seem lost in thought all the sudden." Seryu asked, and Wave noticed that Kurome had been actively listening to their conversation.

"Nothing, just thinking about my uncle at home, I hope he's okay. He was injured by some bandits shortly before I came here."

'So he understand the pain of a family member being harmed by evil.' Seryu's eyes widened a bit, and she reassuring put her hand on Wave's and he smiled at her, thanking her for her care.

 **Morning**

The Jaegers sat down to a nice brunch Bols had prepared, and Esdeath had pressured him to come out with his mask off, exposing himself to the group, who seemed overjoyed he had joined them, barely noticing his face.

Esdeath was wearing a much more casual outfit than normal, a nice grayish black blouse with diamond patterned openings in the sleeves and normal black lounging pants.

Wave, conversing with Kurome about her growing up in the Capital, had taken note of this and was amazed she would show herself in a fairly vulnerable state. 'She can sit among her subordinates almost as an equal. It's as though she's at a dinner with colleagues but seems for more attentive here than she would be doing this with any high-ranking Imperial politicians. She even convinced Bols to come out without his mask. She must really care-" Wave paused, thinking, 'Wait. What did she do or say to Bols to get him to come out?' He recanted, realizing he may have gotten ahead of himself with his optimism again.

As they passed around some fruits and pastries that Bols had slaved away since the early hours making, Stylish poured some more sweet juices and sparkling wine for himself and Seryu, handing it to Wave, grazing his finger as he handed it off. 'Jeez, does this guy ever let up?' Wave thought, becoming less embarrassed and just more aggravated at the constant eye-fluttering from the doctor.

Esdeath carried on conversation about the tournament later that afternoon and such, but kept an eye on Wave throughout, undetected as she had been trained to do from years of verbal sparring with Imperial top dogs. She had reviewed all the Jaeger files that evening and that morning in her office, looking for any discrepancies. She had found none really, but did focus in on Wave's file for slightly longer than the others, so she may have missed something— 'No,' she thought, 'I must never doubt myself. That is for the weak. I am the strongest in the Empire, nothing escapes me.'

She notes his Imperial Arms requires immense strength and durability due to the strain it puts on the user, and was impressed with his desire to take a military post at such a young age, showing a desire to fight and travel, and notes he has a few Danger Beast hotspots in the area of his village, meaning he probably has no fear of them, maybe a cautious knowledge at worst.

He also probably is very skilled and disciplined from the military, meaning he will be easy to break in and already has a career making his path to a general rank like hers that much easier to carve.

He's also younger than her and is good looking for some nobody from the country, a stranger to the cosmetics and expensive clothing of the Capital that some use to enhance themselves.

But his smile left a little to be desired. He smiled fine, sure, but she wanted to give this time. He seemed just a little too eager to please her, probably out of fear and some admiration—which she was no stranger to, she in fact welcomed it—but he may still be putting up a slight façade. She thought he'd really have to prove himself, as he did get swiftly put out of commission by her in their first encounter.

'We'll see,' she thought, 'anyways, the tournament should yield some promise as well.'


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter Eight- Kill the Bandits_

 **The Capital- Imperial Palace, Jaegers' Conference Room**

Wave had been called to the unexpected team meeting at the Jaegers' conference table but he hadn't been sure why. He couldn't make the tournament (he and Kurome were put on palace guard duty- what a bore), while Seryu went patrolling the streets with Koro and Stylish skulked away to his "research" lab (more like a torture chamber). But on his way there, Run who _had_ been able to go, had warned him it was "an interesting case for sure," though Kurome said it couldn't be all that intriguing.

But now, as he was faced with the meeting's subject: a young man with brown hair and green eyes, good looking for his presumed peasant background, maybe a year or two younger than Wave himself, Wave couldn't deny Run's claim. What was particularly interesting about this young man, however, was that he was tied to a chair and had a black collar clanged around his neck with Esdeath's personal sigil etched into it, and a chain that led to her hand as she stood behind him, seeming completely content with herself.

Wave and Kurome's eyes widened, but they reared in their shock to appear unfazed as not to offend the commander. Run glanced over with a look that said 'I told you so.'

Esdeath elaborated that she had discovered the young man, Tatsumi, at the tournament after he had made quite a show in defeating his opponent, and she was impressed with his skills despite his profession as a blacksmith. She also said he would be a backup Jaegers member and would also be her lover.

Wave blurted out, still in a daze at the surrealism of this situation and his commander's lack of self-awareness at how unamused the guy looked, "Why is he wearing a collar?"

Esdeath merely closed her eyes and gestured her hand nonchalantly as if to correct Wave on some trivial matter "If he is to be my lover I want him to stand out."

"But why a collar?!" Wave still just couldn't get past the fact that he looked more like a prisoner or possession than a lover.

"General, I think what Wave is trying to say is maybe the collar might confuse people. He would appear more like a pet. If you really want him to stand out you might consider taking it off." Run had such a way with words, he was probably the only one who could change Esdeath's mind about anything.

"Hmmm, I suppose you're right." Esdeath said, removing the collar, but still leaving the restraints causing Wave to internally face palm.

She went on to ask if anyone had spouses or loved ones and how to win them over, and Wave was stunned, finally being snapped out of his focus on the boy Tatsumi, when Bols raised his hand.

Bols gave her advice on being persistent and never giving up, and Wave was then shocked when the general started actually taking notes, again totally unaware how she was asking about how to win Tatsumi's heart when he was sitting right there. 'Jeez, I thought she was this mature woman but she doesn't know a thing about people or social cues! Even Kurome would know better.' Wave couldn't believe this dramatic shift from the stern but totally self-assured commander to this naïve, inexperienced schoolgirl with a crush.

Tatsumi tried to plead reason, but Wave knew all too well how this kid felt and how pointless it was to argue with this room of crazies. Seryu, hearing how uncomfortable he was, went to him to comfort him, telling him that he was part of the group now and had nothing to fear, putting one of the cold metallic arms upon his shoulder and smiling her innocent, lovely smile.

Wave was somewhat relieved, thinking 'At least one person on the team has some sense to try and comfort the poor guy,' and thought about how Seryu was the one of the only people in the group that seemed to have a warm and gentle heart. Wave was then snapped out of his infatuation when he noticed that Tatsumi was visibly a bit disconcerted, even fuming a bit, at Seryu touching him. He couldn't imagine why he would be. Seryu is a cute young woman who has shown him nothing but kindness thus far.

'Maybe he just really hates that cold chill of her arms she's so worried about,' Wave thought, 'Or maybe he still can't be comfortable as a captive lover of the Empire's most dangerous woman.' Wave was then distracted by the general, suddenly shifting her tone back to her serious, commanding voice she usually always possessed.

"Okay, now we're going to the hideaway of those thieving scum to wipe them out. Tatsumi will observe your mission from afar with me to see how we executed operations." Tatsumi hung his head and Wave just thought 'Oh great.'

On their way into the hall, Wave and Run were approached by Dr. Stylish, and both groaned thinking he was about to make a pass at them again.

"So, country boy, do you like my little protégé?" he asked playfully.

"What?" Wave said seriously, looking around so no one could hear them.

"You know, my side project, Seryu? I've seen the way you look at her. You think she's just the type of girl you've been looking for, perfect take-home-to-mom material, right? Well, despite my enhancements anyway."

"No, no, you've got the wrong idea. I mean, she not unattractive or anything, but she's my colleague, and I respect her." Wave said, obviously trying to hide his embarrassment at being called out.

"Yeah right, well, I'm assuming she's told you her little backstory, right? About her dad who was killed by assassins or traitors or something like that?"

"She mentioned it," Wave said suspiciously, wondering how the doctor knew, why he would bring it up, and why he sounded so playful about the whole thing.

"Yeah, well, let me let you two in on a little secret, just for us." The doctor leaned in intimately close, letting Wave get a whiff of his expensive cologne.

"Seryu's father was framed by our dear Prime Minister for treason and was executed. It was just a little cover up because he had been digging too deep, asking questions about political dissidents who had been turning up dismembered or violated," Stylish told the story with sinister glee that he rarely let show, "But he was so disfigured when his body was publicly strung up, next to his wife's- after the guards and officials had their way with her- that no one would've recognized him. They made up some bullshit hero story about bandits torching his body. Captain Ogre then took his daughter under his wing to foster some loyalty in her, an undying loyalty. It's why she's so bent on the destruction of the Capital's enemies. It was a win-win situation."

Wave and Run leaned away from him, as he bid them farewell, and Wave was thoroughly repulsed with how Seryu could be so loyal to Ogre and Stylish, like second fathers, while they were maliciously stringing her along to the ends of the corrupt bureaucrats. He had half a mind to tell her, but he knew she'd never believe him, a new colleague, over her beloved "patron," and ruin their friendship- and even if she did, it would be too painful a truth that she'd spent years in the service of the men who'd betrayed her father and mother to a horrific fate- and that she'd even given up her arms fighting for them.

Why would the doctor even tell him? To scare him- to let him know how many connections he had should he be crossed? To educate about how deep the corruption went? To make him doubt Seryu's nature- that she's too trusting? Just because he thought it was an amusing story?

But Wave tried his best to push that form his mind. He had to focus on the task at hand.

 **The Capital Outskirts- Bandit Base Camp**

The bandits were definitely not too much of a challenge. Wave was honestly more focused on how the warm (but not uncomfortable) late summer air felt on his skin. 'Definitely not as chilly down here as on the coast,' he thought, being used to the constant gusting of cold, salty air.

They had approached the front entrance, and heard the clanging of a warning bell as some of the men made a formation in front of them, creating a human wall and drawing some cheap guns.

"You've got some nerve attacking the front entrance!" one of the more brash ones screamed.

Seryu calmly approached, calling out a command to Coro, who then covered her entire mouth in his massive jaw, which unhinged like some sort of snake, and when he slid off of her it had produced a massive drill-like appendage. Seryu enjoyed the fury of the battle, it seemed to almost contort her face into a possessed expression. 'Woah, I've never seen her like this,' Wave thought, his eyes widening in fearful awe. 'But then again, if I thought my parents were murdered by people like this, I'd be a bit bloodthirsty, too.'

Stylish of course interrupted to brag about how his Imperial Arms had helped him create the weapons Seryu was producing from her body like magic. The rest of the team charged in, with Wave slipping into the shadows, realizing he didn't even need to strain himself by using his Imperial Arms yet, but that by doing so stealth was his best chance, and so ascended up a balcony on one of the buildings in this mini-fortress.

He noticed Kurome dispatching some bandits and making some weird comments about reanimating them as playthings, but noticed one round a corner and prepare to shoot her from her blind spot.

'I've got to help her!' Wave thought, jumping down from safety and kicking the bandit in the back of the head, knocking him out cold. He posed behind Kurome, facing away like he didn't care, feeling very cool and heroic.

"No need to thank me, it's a team effort," he said confidently, maybe even a bit arrogant.

"You know I saw him, right?" Kurome said in her characteristic deadpan.

"Are you serious?!" Wave gritted his teeth in frustration, 'Why does she always have to have the last word?' he thought in anger, 'No matter, at least the general will see that even without my weapon I'm an effective fighter, and make up for that embarrassment earlier. That training with Uncle Genji really payed off-' Wave looked up to where the commander's vantage point was on the hillside, only to see her more focused on impressing Tatsumi, holding his hand and her usually porcelain complexion a noticeable pink blush; Tatsumi looked as frustrated as Wave felt. 'OH COME ON!' he felt like screaming.

He then ran off and used his sword to slash through some fleeing bandits and slice the barrels off their guns before they could shoot Kurome or Seryu from a distance. They then regrouped and walked away from the bandit camp, now a burning wreck thanks to Bols, and Wave regained his confidence from earlier. 'There's more opportunities to prove myself. I'll just enjoy the moment.' The heat of the flames complimented the cool dark blue night sky and glowing white moon almost beautifully, making it all so picturesque.

On the hillside, Esdeath couldn't help but be swelled with pride that Tatsumi got to see her Jaegers in action and see how dominating they were in the field. 'Now he'll have to fall for me- I'm just so thankful he saved me from dying of boredom at that tournament today.' She was so nervous around him, no one had made her feel so strongly so quickly before. 'I thought love at first sight was just in stories for stupid children.'

 **The Capital- Imperial Palace, Wave's Quarters**

Wave lay in his bed, but sat up, still a bit high off the adrenaline of the night. He was so ecstatic he had been successful and held his own in his first mission. Sure, it was a small group of bandits, but a start's a start.

He had never known a bed as comfortable as the one in the palace. It was so soft he almost couldn't go to sleep because he was so aware of it. He just wasn't used to it, so he tossed and turned and sat up, just thinking.

However, his mind kept drifting back to the general. How best to impress her as a team member and make his mark so she knows she didn't make a misjudgment in recruiting him. And also what the hell she might be doing with that poor Tatsumi guy. The guy definitely didn't want to be there, and given the general's reputation as a conqueror, he couldn't imagine it was too pleasant. Or maybe it was. Wave honestly thought he and Tatsumi seemed pretty similar so he couldn't figure out why the general took such an immediate interest in the other guy. God, is he really jealous of the kidnapping and possible torture victim? 'Man, she really makes an impression, she's already infesting my thoughts and subconscious.' Wave thought, pondering why he was even thinking about his boss so much. 'It's just first day nerves, I'll get used to her. And the team.' He had heard she had this effect on people, but couldn't believe he'd fall victim to it, because he had already been aware of it.

Wave tried to push her from his mind, thinking about the rest of the team, like Kurome. He just couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something about her that intrigued him. She was a few year his junior, and pretty cute, but he wasn't enamored with her or anything. He just felt this instinct that she was so blunt and teasing with him but also kind of supportive that she was like a younger sister he never had.

Seryu was like the older village girls who always played with him as a kid. He had a definite crush on them because they were everything he thought a girl should be- caring, respectful, doting, and sweet, but also strong-willed and independent and interesting. She also didn't have that stupidity or vainness a lot of younger girls of his village carried with them, having not really explored the outside world, but she also wasn't jaded. Kurome didn't either, but she seemed a lot more damaged than Seryu. 'I don't even care about those arms that freak doctor gave her. She's as complete a woman I've ever met.' He thought, getting a little worked up at the thought.

He drifted off to sleep with these nice thoughts, thinking about the bonding he'll get to do with his team and possibly getting put on patrol with Seryu or Kurome.

 **The Capital- Imperial Palace, Jaegers' Dining Room**

Wave had started off the day eating breakfast with Kurome, questioning her choice of sweets for breakfast as he sipped a mug of black coffee, and she retorted that at least she doesn't have a fish scent like he does, and he asked for the recently-arrived Tatsumi to tell him he didn't, but Tatsumi couldn't quite confirm nor deny the smell.

Tatsumi then found out Kurome is the infamous Night Raid assassin Akame's little sister, which Wave had forgotten she had mentioned the other night at dinner, and was equally disturbed at hearing her intention of murdering her own sister the second time he heard it, and he could feel the sense of unease from Tatsumi as well.

Wave also found out Tatsumi barely got a wink of sleep because Esdeath treated him like her favorite body pillow and kept trying to mess with him when he would drift to sleep. 'Geez it's just like her. She's a real dominatrix. Won't even let the guy sleep or anything, really coming on strong on the first night.' Wave thought to himself, before realizing that thinking of the commander's sex life if probably really inappropriate, and then second-guessed that he thought of the term 'dominatrix,' which is itself pretty sexualized. He just tried to get off the subject in his own head.

Speaking of the devil, Esdeath walked in shortly after and announced that the four of them would be splitting into scouting parties for Danger Beasts in the nearby valleys near Mt. Fake, with Wave and Tatsumi scouting the west half and she and Kurome the east, before switching teams that evening, with Tatsumi grimacing and audibly being caught off guard, knowing why she probably wanted to team at night.

He was only a little off, as she did have some seducing in mind as well but also wanted to show off by attacking the more dangerous monsters that were nocturnal.

Outside the room, Dr. Stylish eavesdropped, and his façade of the flamboyant tool was gone. If anyone could have seen him, he was clearly suspicious, furrowing his brow and tilting his glasses as he always did, yet he had a distinct scowl on his face. He was for sure planning something, and he felt something was off about the general's latest pet project Tatsumi.

 **The Capital Outskirts- Mt. Fake, East Side**

Kurome and Esdeath had been patrolling up the mountain for some time. Kurome was nibbling her cookies, as if she didn't eat for extended period of time, she could pass out. It was a familial trait, her sister had the same issue.

"General, I'm sorry I forgot to offer, do you want some of these cookies?"

"No thank you, I don't really have much of a sweet tooth."

"So- I didn't want to ask in front of him, and forgive me if I'm overstepping a bit-"

Kurome was cut off, "Then I'm sure you are, but go ahead, I prefer honesty above all else." The general said almost not caring but with a hint of a passive-aggressive tone, but now Kurome was trapped so she had to speak.

"It's just- what exactly do you intend to do with the boy Tatsumi?"

"Huh?" Esdeath raised her eyebrow and turned to face Kurome with genuine intrigue, "How do you mean?"

"It's just that you've just met is all. I thought this sort of thing usually takes time."

"Oh well," Esdeath shrugged, "I've heard love is strange. It just strikes you when it does. Besides, Tatsumi is the only man I've met to hit every one of my qualifications, even the extra one- the smile."

"So far. From a mathematical point, there's got to be more than just one guy." Kurome argued, trying to get the general to see how ridiculous a position she had taken. "He's just your first crush. I've even had that. You think he's the only one, and then-"

"No, Kurome, this is different than a young girl's crush. I've never felt so filled with joy in quite a long time. It's different than the happiness I get from battle. It's more- pure." The general said, almost losing her stern composure in a blush which Kurome took note of. 'No, no weakness.' Esdeath scolded herself. "Besides, I've already committed to this path. Tatsumi's training will be a challenge to be conquered and I've already promised myself to him and to remain true. I've never really been with a man this way, so it will be new for both of us." Esdeath let another key piece of info slip, but did not make a show of it and showed no sign of embarrassment.

Kurome was shocked that such a confident and powerful woman would be so vulnerable and had not really been with a man. She had assumed from rumors that Esdeath just took any man she pleased. She had heard that she'd turned the Northern hero into some sort of boot-licking sex slave (though I guess now she knew that the 'sex' part was just a rumor), and figured she'd inquire as to how that would figure into their relationship.

"Training? Is Tatsumi going to be a human pet like the prince of the North?" Kurome asked.

Esdeath laughed, as though she had said something very cute and naïve. "No no, Kurome. He's my lover. I, of course, will be the dominant partner and the one in charge, but he'll almost be my equal. He won't be my slave or pet. Numa Seika almost met my qualifications, but he failed even as a dog so I killed him." She said with such nonchalance even Kurome was a little perturbed, and Esdeath was even a bit aggravated at the failed hero even being brought into her mind again, especially him being compared to a young man as great as Tatsumi.

Kurome was then thinking about how she knew some men growing up in the Imperial training camps that probably would meet the general's strict qualifications, but then wrote it off. 'Most are off far away and probably dead by now. She'll never meet them.'

They continued their hike as the afternoon sun hung low in the sky, Esdeath getting increasingly unrested as the night approached, and they could switch and she could be with Tatsumi.


	9. Update!

Quick Update:

I apologize to anyone that was waiting for a real update to the story. I am currently in the process of penning the new chapter and will have it up in the next two days hopefully. I've been busy with school so I haven't had a ton of time to update it, and I apologize to anyone who's been hanging on this past near month and a half for some sort of new material. I just wanted to post this so no one thinks the story is dead- or that I was dead, for that matter.


	10. Chapter 9

_Chapter Nine- Kill the Punitive Measure_

 **The Capital- Imperial Palace, Esdeath's Throne Room**

Wave had been shaking with anxiety ever since Tatsumi had disappeared earlier that day. He had done his best to find him after facing off some Imperial Arms-wielding Night Raid member, but eventually had to call it as the sun set and the dangerous monsters had to crawl their way out of the woodwork.

He had been able to rendezvous with Kurome and the commander at their designated spot, and as he approached he instantly saw the general's blushing and ecstatic exterior fade into her usual cold analysis, only a bit more frustrated.

He had to admit Tatsumi had disappeared on him, and he had barely been able to stave off the Night Raider, whom Esdeath thought was the great Bulat, the ex-Imperial soldier known for slaughtering over a hundred men single-handedly. Esdeath registered this with a sort of subdued rage, barely opening her mouth the whole ride home, almost pursing her lips and gritting her teeth when she did speak. They had finally gotten back in, entering her throne room, where Run was waiting for them. He greeted them warmly, but instantly was able to detect her anger and decided it was best not to talk to her much. Esdeath quickly instructed the nearby Seryu to scout the outer areas of the capital.

Wave was about to approach to further apologize when she, without even turning around, said sharply. "Wave, I need to ask something of you. No, it's more of an order." She said, barely turning her head in his direction but still facing away, in a sort of disappointment.

"Of course, general, what is it?" he said, a little relieved she was finally speaking to him again, expecting her to ask him some menial chore or a punishment exercise.

"Remove your clothes." She said coldly. Wave froze, sweating in confusion and tried to laugh it off. "Commander, you can't be serious. I know you're upset about losing Tatsumi but I don't think-" Wave was immediately silenced by the cold embrace of a rapier bracing the hairs on his neck, close enough to touching him that it almost tickled, though he wasn't exactly feeling amused by this. Wave just hung his jaw slightly open in shock.

"I'm serious, now take off your clothes and go over to that post." She pointed out a sort of whipping-type post, with a ridged wood platform underneath.

Wave struggled to take off his clothes quickly enough and the general re-sheathed her blade. Run and Kurome just stood by in shock. "Kurome!" Esdeath suddenly commanded.

"Yes, ma'am?" Kurome immediately turned her attention to the general.

"Please go grab some stone plates and the candle from that table by my throne." She said curtly but without malice towards the raven-haired girl.

"Of course." She nodded and ascended the small staircase to the throne.

Wave went over to the post. Esdeath suddenly was right behind him as he hovered above, unsure of what she wanted from him- or maybe he did, and was too petrified to admit it to himself.

She grabbed his shoulders firmly from behind, her hands ice cold somehow, and shouted "Kneel!" she forced him down, his knees pressing painfully into the hardened, sharp ends of the wood. She swiftly, almost in a blink, bound his hands behind him on the post.

Kurome finally returned to stand beside the general with the materials she requested, and Esdeath calmly turned to her, almost smiling, to say she would be the one punishing Wave, and Esdeath would walk her through it, before returning to her throne.

So Esdeath went to her throne to brood, with Run nearby as her loyal servant, and had Kurome periodically drop the stone slabs on Wave's lap, further pressing his knees into the wood platform and causing him to scream and cry out, and made him apologize fervently. Kurome also would pour hot candle wax down his back so he'd lean forward, even further into the painfully sharp platform.

Esdeath recognized Wave as a strong and formidable pawn, but was disappointed in his inability to even hold off Night Raid until she could arrive, and for losing her one chance for love- Tatsumi.

Esdeath eventually relented, but not without flashing Wave a chilling, inhuman stare at him from between her palms, and warning him that the next time he slipped up that badly, he'd be seeing her personally.

Wave had never been so terrified. That eye—it was clearly the same shade of blue, but that icy blue color had suddenly become so intense it might as well have been fiery red. It just cut through him. He could barely muster a response, other than a shaky, unsure "Yes, ma'am."

Esdeath kind of enjoyed it. She enjoyed this session significantly more than the one she had with Numa Seika, but couldn't place why. It was possible because Wave was submitting, but not really enjoying the torment which is what made it so much more satisfying to her sensibilities. And she couldn't help but notice Wave was very fit, probably from swimming in the ocean all his life. She turned her cap down, scolding herself. After all, she promised Tatsumi she'd never even look at another man.

Though, she wondered if she could win Tatsumi over to her way of doing things- if he'd ever be okay with them using people like Wave or that dog Numa Seika as human playthings once in a while. She smiled to herself underneath her cap. She was certain she could. She could be very persuasive- and _very_ forceful.

She felt afraid of Tatsumi's fate in the wilderness alone, but she was confident he would survive. That's what drew her to him in the first place. His impressive ability to fight under his circumstances, and his drive to succeed. Wave had a similar quality about him but didn't have the confidence that Tatsumi seemed to have honed. Where he found it was a mystery to her. Surely he'd have to have had some sort of formal training, but as a lowly blacksmith's apprentice she didn't see how he could have afforded it.

Back to the task of finding him, Seryu had arrived just then, drawing attention away from the groveling Wave, standing at attention with Koro following suit while being held in her metallic arms. Seryu reported that they had scouted the areas outside the city but Tatsumi was nowhere to be found. Esdeath wasn't surprised and was not upset, as Koro was always meant to be a combat Teigu, and it was more of a last-ditch effort.

"And what about Dr Stylish?" Esdeath inquired, thought Seryu responded that he hadn't made contact with her yet, and she seemed to worry about that fact. Esdeath wasn't exactly surprised, so didn't dwell on it.

But then Run, as usual, added something interesting to the conversation: if it was true that Tatsumi wanted to join the revolution as he had told Esdeath the previous night, and he had gone off to join it, were they permitted to kill him?

Esdeath had never considered this, and paused a moment to mull it over, but ultimately her principals were more important than her personal feelings: she said if it came down to it, her subordinates' lives were more important, and they could execute him.

But again, she thought to herself, there's no way Tatsumi would die. He was too resilient and strong.

Esdeath then permitted Kurome to untie Wave from the post, but said that later she might 'play with him more,' throwing in some light whipping and water-boarding to 'let him off easy', to his utter terror and disgust with her use of the term 'playing.'

Kurome helped Wave off, his knees bruised and bloodied from the stones and wood spikes. Aching and slowly pulling his shirt back on, he saw Kurome blush a bit and giggle, much to his embarrassment, and turned to see Seryu staring, now that her attention was off of her mission, before catching him and turning away quickly.

'Well, at least it's not that freak Stylish.' He thought to himself, relieved, but then thought, 'I haven't seen him since this morning. Not that I'm upset, but where the hell is he?"

 **The Capital-Imperial Palace, Outer Balcony Pathway**

Wave had taken a stroll on the outer area of the palace, on outdoor hallways that overlooked the gardens and courtyards. The beauty of this place really masked the true, rotten nature of its inhabitants well. You'd never guess there were criminals and spies currently being tortured to death in the bowels of the palace.

The cool outer air refreshed Wave, still sore and bloodied under his clothing, his pants stinging the wounds on his shins and knees.

Suddenly, Wave, caught once again deep in thought about how little he knew of the terror in the capital and how perhaps he'd made a huge mistake, saw a figure approaching from the other end of the balcony.

In that crisp white uniform and cap with those long silky blue strands of hair, no mistake could be made- it was Esdeath, and she was headed for him!

Wave panicked, freezing up, thinking she'd come back to finish 'playing' with him as she'd said. But he figured he'd have to stay strong, and forced himself to sluggishly move forward.

She recognized him as well, and her demeanor softened, and she approached him quickly and casually, as she might a respected colleague or friend.

"Good evening, Wave, what brings you out here this late? I'm glad to see my torture didn't stop you from taking a nice evening stroll, your recovery was even better than I anticipated!" she said, smiling and having a generally nice demeanor about her, which caused Wave immeasurable confusion and a bit of frustration.

'What the hell was wrong with her? She just tied me down and tortured me and threatened to do it again only worse, and now she's chatting like we're just two friendly coworkers?' he thought, gritting his teeth, but he figured he had to say something. "Uh, yeah, I'm holding up alright, general. What were you doing up here anyways?" changing the subject was the way to go in his mind.

"Oh, I'm just up here studying and filling out my daily journal. Keeps my mind sound. Like a routine or meditation. But I noticed you seem a bit off-kilter. You seemed hesitant to approach me, as your commander, I think you should be comfortable around me. I'm your superior but still your colleague. Maybe you could use some relaxing activity? Perhaps that's why you take these strolls?" she seemed so genuine in his inquisitive nature, Wave was caught-off.

'Well, it's not like I can say I was walking off the physical and emotional trauma she caused.' Wave thought, "Yeah, that's why. I sometimes do this to clear my head as well. What were you studying?"

"Nothing too interesting, just some rare Danger Beasts and Imperial Arms. But don't try to deflect, Wave, I'm sure you're still a bit upset about my punishment. I can tell." she said, in her typically straightforward manner.

"Uh.." he wasn't sure how to respond, "I wasn't trying to deflect, commander, I didn't know how to bring it up. I understand why you did what you did."

"I hope it doesn't disrupt the work we have to do here. In this occupation I had to give you a harsh reminder that large missteps have equally large consequences. It was necessary and deserved, but it's nothing personal."

Wave looked up at her, now being as stern as she was, and said, cracking a cocky half-smile "I won't let it stand in the way of our success, commander. I promise."

Esdeath was taken aback at what a strong constitution he showed, and she was impressed at his ability to compose himself so quickly before her. But, she felt his half-smile may have been a bit forced.

"You don't have to smile, Wave. It's never polite to put up facades with your superiors. It only breeds mistrust." she said, not angry, but merely correcting him as she would a simple child.

"Of course, I apologize. I won't let it happen again."

"Well then, I'm glad we had this chat. Good night." Esdeath cut it off as quickly as she had initiated, brushing past him with a small smile, leaving a slight chill as she did.

'I seriously have to watch myself around her. I thought, through all my battles and hardships at home and at sea, that I knew what it was to be afraid and to face challenges. I had no idea how wrong I was.' Wave pondered.

But he couldn't shake a certain sense of relief and newfound confidence. 'She was so straightforward with me. She didn't manipulate me or elongate the suffering past a point she felt was necessary by further interrogating me. Hell, she seemed content to just converse until she noticed I was uncomfortable.' Wave couldn't help but admire her a bit for that, and be thankful.

 **The Capital, City Streets**

The following evening Wave was paired with Seryu and Koro to patrol the city streets and alleyways, keeping order and watching out for Night Raid-related activity. However, it seemed to be an exceptionally quiet and uneventful night, so Wave seized the opportunity to just hang out.

This pairing was another thing he could be thankful to the commander for.

He insisted upon stopping into a local pub, and grabbing some drinks. Seryu, nervous about what the commander might do if they're not taking the mission seriously, reluctantly caved after Wave playfully got on his knees and begged, which she giggled at.

Once they were inside, some of the shadier patrons crept into dark corners or gathered their things and left hastily, recognizing Seryu from her patrolling of the streets with the Imperial Police, realizing they must be there on business.

Wave beckoned over to a server, who wasted no time making his way over, probably hoping they weren't the more impatient and violent members of the aristocracy, and maybe he could win favor with some powerful patrons.

"I think I'll have a pint, what about you Seryu?" Wave said confidently, turning to Seryu, who was preoccupied with playing with Koro.

"Huh?" she said, lifting her head with that caught-off-guard expression with her wide eyes that Wave thought was very cute. "Oh, I'll take a coffee or tea or whatever you have, I don't drink much anyways, but especially if I was on duty." She smiled.

Wave blushed, a bit embarrassed, and not wanting her to think he was a heavy drinker or anything, decided to change his order to a coffee as well. 'Though it's a bit late for that, oh well, we have more patrolling to do I guess.'

After finishing their drinks and making some pleasant chit-chat, Wave heard a band on the corner outside cue up and play an upbeat, jazzy tune.

"Do you dance?" Wave asked Seryu, who hung her a head a bit nervously and responded with a "No, not really."

"Though I'm always willing to learn a new skill!" she responded cheerfully, not wanting to seem boring.

"Here, I'm not so good myself, but I know a bit." He lent her his hand and led her outside, helping her maintain a consistent slow dancing pattern, before the rhythm suddenly picked up during an improvisation and they began spinning each other around, and laughing a bit at how ridiculous they felt after having been sent out on business.

Seryu then saw Koro get a scent of something, and chased him into the wooded fields right outside the capital, and Wave struggled to keep up with her surprising surge of energy, which allowed her to get a massive head start on him before he understood what was happening.

Eventually he caught up, finding Koro had got a scent for a wild jackrabbit, and had devoured it as a snack, and that there was no danger.

Relieved but also a bit disappointed, Seryu and Wave decided to take their time returning to the main area of the city. Seryu then decided to finally ask her most difficult question of Wave- "Hey Wave, I didn't want to bring it up, but are you alright after getting punished yesterday? It seemed very intense and painful."

"Huh?" Wave said, paling at the mention, which Seryu took note of.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No, no, you're alright. I'm actually fine, just a little concerned about not slipping up again is all." He said, trying to reassure her but with a grimness to his final words.

"Oh, well, if it makes you feel any better, I think it was just the general's way of trying to improve you, but in her own strange way. I think it's the only method she's known her whole life." She said.

Wave never considered this, about how perhaps the commander really doesn't get how to properly deal with subordinates in normal and healthy ways, and in her mind what she did to Wave wasn't all that extreme.

It was twisted, but at least he could convince himself it wasn't anything personal.

Wave finished pondering, and noticed that now Seryu seemed a little lost in thought on another subject suddenly.

"Seryu, what's the matter? You've been a bit spacey today as well I've noticed."

"Oh! I'm sorry you noticed, I've been trying to mask it and put on a strong face for the general but, it's just," Seryu then suddenly began choking up, "Well, Dr. Stylish still hasn't come back yet today, and no one's seen or heard from him or his subordinates since he disappeared sometime yesterday afternoon. He won't even report in to me or the commander. I just hope the same fate hasn't befallen him as my parents or my mentor Ogre." She hung her head, clenching her metallic fists, now very chilled by the evening air, and held back her tears, her face obviously red.

Wave held back his own passion, to tell Seryu of what happened to her parents and to not mourn scum like Stylish and Ogre alongside them, but he knew he couldn't. She wouldn't believe him, especially not in her hysterical state.

Wave then knew he had to do something to ease her pain, so he threw his navy blue coat around her to stop her shivering, and then his arm around her shoulder and looked down to her, she now stopped shaking and gritting her teeth and looked up at him in shock.

"The doctor seems like a smart and capable man, Seryu, I wouldn't worry too much. He'll return to you soon, I'm sure of it." He said, smiling at her. She felt a sudden comfort and ease wash over her, and her arms didn't feel so inhuman and cold as he held onto one.

She smiled warmly at him, resting her head on him and closing her now dry eyes. "Thank you, Wave."

Wave, now a bit flustered, and not sure how to move forward, blurted out, "Well, I-I think we should get in soon. It is getting rather cold out here in the outskirts."

They slowly made their way towards the main areas of the capital, the streets remaining pretty quiet considering all the recent activity. Seryu thought to herself, no longer resting her head, but still remaining close enough to Wave to stay warm, of how now there was another person in her life who she could confide in. But there was something different about this, something more intimate than her interactions with Ogre and Stylish. She'd never felt this way before, and was nervous about how to confront it, especially with a professional acquaintance. But she felt that they landed on the same team for a reason, whether it be romantic or not, and there was something to be explored in this relationship later.

Of course, Koro nibbling at her leg so she would finally pick him up and show him some attention finally got to her so she put these thoughts to rest for the moment as she picked up the dog-like creature and looked at the clear night sky.


	11. Chapter 10

_Chapter Ten- Kill the Mourning_

 **The Capital- Imperial Palace Gardens**

Wave was walking down the hall with Kurome. He had heard about the fact that Stylish and his crew of super-soldiers were believed to have died in battle, as Stylish's lab was left with his most of his equipment and important notes unremoved.

The only group with the power to do this would be the Night Raid.

Wave, knowing Seryu would be horribly broken up about the whole thing, was confidently making his way to where she and Koro were in the garden. He spotted her a few minutes before solemnly cleaning her gear from the dining hall window and remembered his mother's advice: "If there's ever a girl in need of cheering up, be a man and help her out."

Kurome doubted his success, sporting her usual glum, unfazed expression.

Wave finally made it to the green-grassed courtyard with the marble walkways, and spotted a female figure.

"Seryu! I'm here for you!" he shouted brazenly.

Suddenly, he registered one of the most bizarre images he'd seen thus far in the capital- it was the commander, with Seryu nuzzling herself in her arms, and Esdeath smiling down in a comforting, borderline motherly way (especially strange considering Seryu was the older of the two).

Wave just stood aghast while Kurome gave him a comforting pat on the back, as if to say 'Better luck next time.'

Esdeath then noticed his presence after he shouted out. "Oh good, I'm glad you two are here so I didn't have to send for you. Minister Honest has asked if we would send a small group to defend the Minister of Finance. He is rumored to be on Night Raid's list of targets. I have appointed you two to defend him immediately."

"Yes ma'am!" Kurome shouted confidently.

"Y-yes, anything you say, commander." Wave stuttered, still a little hazy given what he had just seen and trying to shake the feeling of uselessness and dejection he'd become accustomed to.

Esdeath gave an intimidating smirk and they departed, and Seryu finally collected herself from her state of turmoil.

Esdeath then went off to further discipline the Minister's guards in the torture hall on their subpar methods. She had been through many drills with them- whipping them, getting them on all fours and digging into their backs with her boot, chaining them to walls, scorching them with hot wax. None of these methods seemed to cure their stupidity and lack of creativity so she'd have to try something more drastic. Luckily she was warmed up from her session with Wave a few days prior.

As Wave walked with Kurome, he had been able to get past his own feelings of inadequacy and the strangeness of seeing Esdeath so kind, and felt very happy that someone had seen to it that Seryu was okay and that she would be comforted in her time of duress. 'I guess she really does care about us, in her own strange way.'

Wave and Kurome found their job was even easier than anticipated: they were merely to go to the Minster's quarters every so often and check in if there might be an emergency that their spies in the Revolution might report on, though those spies have become sparser after so many being snuffed out.

 **The Capital- Marketplace**

Esdeath made her way briskly down the capital's streets, traversing the crowded marketplace, with Run carefully trailing behind. Her celebrity had diminished as she was now just another frequent patron, having come and introduced herself to all the shopkeepers and traders upon her arrival at the capital, so she could walk at her own pace and not feel the pressure of people staring.

Esdeath continued surveying the area with a certain anxiety, which Run took note of immediately.

"Captain, is something the matter?" he asked calmly, not wanting any upset to be detected if they were being followed.

"It's nothing, it's just whenever there's a lot of people I want to search for Tatsumi."

Run then remembered he had brought something along to show her, hoping to ease her mind. Though knowing her personality, he sheepishly pulled it out. "Uh, captain..." he said, waiting for her to turn to him, which she didn't, merely turning her ahead slightly, as if starting to turn around. "We have discovered several lookalikes of him among the army. If you wish, we could arrange for you to meet them."

Her expression went from slightly interested back to solemn, her hope having been that Tatsumi had been found.

"There's no need for that, Run." She said, fastening her cap back down, but appreciating his effort. "There is only one Tatsumi in the world, I will accept no substitute." She continued walking forward.

Run bowed, apologizing for his interference, before thinking to himself to keep an eye on Esdeath, as she's less disgusting and more intriguing than he thought. Another thought crossed his mind—'Did the general really love Tatsumi as a person or an ideal? Obviously it isn't just the looks that factor in, yet she fell in love with him at first encounter. So possibly it's what he represents to her that she has an interest in? Could that be manipulated, or is there someone that can represent those ideals equally as well if not better so her mind can be refocused?'

Run then continued walking forward as to catch up with Esdeath, noticing her pause in deep thought, probably about Tatsumi or the Night Raid or something. That's pretty much all she thought about these days.

 **The Capital- Outskirts**

A carriage drawn by a single horse and steered by two farmers was barreling down the rocky path, trying to reach the capital's gates before dusk turned to night.

"We have to hurry! Get out this area before nightfall!" one shouted in a panic.

Suddenly, the carriage was thrown almost on its side, as the horse seemed to shriek out and reared up suddenly, when three giant humanoid creatures lunged up into the air from the forest.

These were the human-type Danger Beasts that were rumored to be stalking the mines and cabins around the area, eating all the unfortunate souls who crossed their paths.

All the farmers could do was scream in terror as their fate closed in. Suddenly, they felt massive, booming footsteps run along the roof of the cart, and a smaller but no less huge human leapt up, grunting and knocking one of the beasts to the ground with a crushing blow to the face.

The other beasts closed in and the human suddenly produced a massive flamethrower, and burned some into dust in a fiery spiraling inferno. The other beasts, terrified themselves, fled.

The men were in awe, before their savior turned to face them. He spoke in a soft and somehow serious voice: "Everyone, there's nothing to fear anymore." He was a behemoth, and had a ghostly white mask resembling some sort of apparition or skull.

The farmers froze, thinking they had been sent from the frying pan into the fire—somewhat literally.

"I defeated those Danger Beasts, so there's no need to quiver in fear like that…" he reached out, appeared like a demon beckoning them to Hell, backlit by roaring flames.

Suddenly, a cold hand touched one farmer's shoulder, and he screamed and spun around, before being faced with pretty young lady with reddish-brown hair and metallic arms in a green cloak-type outfit, holding a little puppy-type creature.

"It's all right now, the flames of justice have purged evil."

The farmers sighed in relief, realizing they were soldiers from the capital, and continued talking to Seryu.

Wave approached the area, having stayed back, knowing that Bols was best equipped to defeat the beasts quickly enough to save the farmers, and drive the rest to where Esdeath had laid her trap.

Wave went to comfort Bols, who seemed upset at the lack of recognition for his efforts and the fear he seemed to instill in people, but Bols was actually just happy that the farmers had been calmed down.

The group finally caught back up to Esdeath, who had frozen the beasts solid and captured them alive, per the minister's request. She had just finished scolding Kurome, whose mouth was watering, that she could not eat them.

Esdeath had met with the emperor and minister, the emperor thanking her, as her presence not only helped decrease the Danger Beasts in the area and improve the effectiveness of the 'interrogation chambers' (as he put it, unaware most were just being tortured for speaking out, not to be questioned), but also seemed to quiet Night Raid's activity in and around the capital.

He again suggested that the minister's son Syura would be a great husband, as he has such a bright future ahead (seeming to completely forget how abysmal their last meeting went), but Esdeath again reminded the emperor she had found someone in Tatsumi, and she would seek him out despite his disappearance.

The emperor had been quite impressed with this, and the minister later told Esdeath of the emperor's interest in love per her influence and his plan to drown the young boy in decadence once he's of age. Esdeath smiled that she had such a positive impact, and warned Honest not to let the boy get any "adult diseases."

Honest again asked about all the men who were falling at her feet that she surrounded herself with, even before this new love of hers or thoughts of marriage, and she coldly insisted they were just pets and not her partners. She seriously needed to ask Tatsumi when she found him about what to do about them and if she should keep some human footstools around, however. She did enjoy the attention, even if it was by pathetic dregs masquerading as legitimate suitors.

Esdeath had also shared her secret to loyalty and strength in her men: showering them with respect, affection, and rewards to make them appreciate her. Esdeath has successfully pulled this off with Seryu just the other day. Not to say she didn't care for Seryu or her men _at all_ , but definitely not as much as the care they probably had for her.

Honest then instructed her to capture some of these rare new Danger Beasts for himself to study and possibly duplicate, and that's what led to their involvement.

Wave and the others caught up and greeted her. Run was not present, scribing some of Esdeath's plans for her at home to send out to her troops stationed in the North.

She had been in the forest with the others earlier, slaughtering more of the humanoid beasts, which is what scared the others into the farmers' path to begin with.

She had seen Wave in his Grand Chariot in battle finally, not just training, and was impressed with how much power and energy it had (and probably took to maintain), as well as his impressive abilities for only a three-year veteran of the Navy. He even managed to tear a Beasts' head off with some effort.

His style was even more polished than Tatsumi's at the tournament, and his weapon was much more advanced and strenuous than a blacksmith's sword. He was in many ways Tatsumi's equal, yet she couldn't see him as anything but her subordinate. Was it his lack of a truly pure smile from his military days jading him a bit? That seemed his only missing quality. Or perhaps he had reached his full potential already and there was nothing left for her to draw out of him? No, his slip-up with Tatsumi and the Night Raid proved he still had a long way to go.

She couldn't quite hit the nail on the head, but composed herself to not let anything on. She wanted to push these doubts from her mind, as she should never doubt herself or others may doubt her as well. That is not what the Empire's Strongest does. Thinking about all this was so new to her, though, she felt one could forgive her for overthinking it.

 **The Capital- Imperial Palace, Seryu's Quarters**

Seryu got ready for bed, getting into a green nightgown, and tucked Koro into a little blanket area she had for him and went over to her small wooden desk, looking at on old sketch of her father—her only image of him. She set her little candle, the only light in the room down, and asked her father for guidance, something she did nightly.

"Father, I hope I have lived up to your expectations today. I try to honor your memory and your drive for justice." She said, hoping he would hear her somewhere.

She paused because she pondered what he would think of her feelings that were developing. They were strange and unexpected. She really liked Wave as a comrade and friend, and felt there was something a little more to them. She found herself enjoying his company a lot, and he was good to Koro, and always helped her out in need or attempted to. She had heard him come to comfort her when she was with Esdeath, and appreciated his efforts to check in on her. She found herself blushing whenever he told a joke or held her chilled artificial hand in his still warm, human one.

However, since that day, she couldn't help but feel strange emotions about the captain as well. When the captain took her in her arms and cradled her and hugged her close to her chest, she felt so safe and secure. The same way she felt with Wave that night when he put his coat around her. She was so confused about these feeling for two close allies, and how different they were, and how she felt her feelings for Esdeath might be frowned upon by people.

She even worried hearing about the captain being sent to find more Danger Beasts in the mountains that evening. She knew Esdeath could handle it herself, but Seryu wanted to go and help her, even if she _was_ weaker.

But she also got to have more time to spend with Wave, so she couldn't help but feel a little happy.

How could she care about two people at once? She wished there was a way to be with both of them, free from judgement.

She was so nervous of what her father would've thought, that she tried to push these feelings from her mind.

She was very tired, and figured this could all be her fatigue setting in. She and Koro had spent the afternoon exterminating more and more of these human-like monsters with feverish glee in the outskirts and on trading roads. She did enjoy her work a lot, no matter how dirty or violent it was. It was justified violence, after all.

She had heard that Run and the captain had received intel about the beasts being some escaped experiments by Dr. Stylish, her beloved patron, made from vagrants and political prisoners, hence why these were a new type of beast unseen before, and their superior strength to humans and intelligence for a monster.

She wouldn't hear any of this. She couldn't believe her friend and mentor was a mad doctor creating these abominations that hurt the citizens of the capital. She forced herself to not even consider it.

She settled into bed, and drifted off, thinking of both the captain's flowing blue hair and icy eyes and porcelain complexion and Wave's darker features and strength. She smiled softly as she drifted off.


	12. Chapter 11

_Chapter Eleven- Kill the Ideals_

 **The Capital- Jaegers' Meeting Room, Morning**

"The commander has been gone for over a day now! Do you think it's happened? Do you think she's dead, that a danger beast or enemy soldier finally got the drop on her?" Wave asked, his mind racing, fearing for his captain's fate.

"No, you worry too much." Kurome said, munching on a cookie, "She's a survivor above all else. She's not the most feared for nothing. Maybe she met up with some people on the way."

Seryu sat by, not saying much, but was equally as troubled as Wave. She thought about how his caring nature and thirst for justice rivaled her own, and she was happy to go scouting the area for some reported bandits with him later. She was putting her faith in Kurome's words, that the commander would be okay, and would return to her…err- the team safely.

She had to remember not to think of the commander in that way. It was unprofessional. And she's sure Wave wouldn't approve.

Bols arrived shortly after, and Seryu went off to take care of Koro's impossible appetite. Bols again took issue with Wave thinking he was a good person, and reluctantly elaborated on his haunting deeds as an executioner: how he's had to burn people alive in war, even killing people who claimed innocence during public trials. Wave went pale at that mention.

Suddenly, a sweet, pretty woman in her early or mid-thirties entered the room, addressing the monstrous Bols, who terrified most, very warmly. She had come by with a bubbly little girl to deliver his lunch they had "made together."

Wave was initially perplexed and didn't understand the connection, but realized _this_ was the wife Bols had mentioned earlier, meaning that the child was his daughter!

Wave was immensely caught off guard, more so than when the commander dragged poor Tatsumi in by a chain, but this quickly melted into a feeling of joy. Bols didn't care that people despised him or were afraid because all he needed were the two women that gave his life the most joy, who accepted him for the person he truly is underneath his gruff exterior and despite his horrific occupation.

But again, Wave felt truly guilty about his first impression, remembering he was almost a part of the problem, and couldn't believe that Bols would accept people's judgement and fear of his appearance as a just punishment for his crimes.

 **The Capital- Outer Neighborhoods, Afternoon**

Seryu and Wave again stopped in for a bite to eat at an upscale café, grabbing some coffee. He sat down and figured this was his chance.

"Seryu, I hate to trudge up old business, but" he paused, seeing her head dart up and her inviting smile greet him. "I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about what happened to Dr. Stylish. I never really saw eye to eye with him, but I know he was very important to you and I want to let you know I'll be here if you ever need me."

Her eyes widened, and she became a little pink, not knowing what to say. "I know." She finally blurted out, "I heard you when I was with the commander the other day. I really appreciated that you would've come to see me but I wasn't sure how to express it." She twirled her auburn hair in her fingers, looking off to the side.

Wave again put his hand on her artificial one and said, "Of course, Seryu." And smiled, and she retracted nervously. Wave was then caught off, his eyes widening, and too sat back, feeling he may have come off too strong for the topic.

But Seryu was upset for an entirely different reason, as she stated "I wish I could really feel your hands. I can sense touch obviously, but not the warmth on them." She hung her head slightly, and Wave reached out and touched her upper arm, which was still natural flesh. "Better?" he asked. "Yeah." She said sheepishly, keeping eye contact for what seemed like minutes.

Eventually, Wave's attention darted to a small band who had cued up, starting to play a slow, somber tune. "You want to dance again?" he asked her, a bit abruptly.

"To this? It sounds sad." She asked, a bit confused and concerned at his thought process.

"Yeah, but it could help." He said, shrugging. She stood up hesitantly and he followed, and he helped her in the positioning: his hands on her hips and hers on his shoulder. She was nervous, not fully putting her hands on him, more just the tips of her fingers, until she kind of went along with the beat of the music and relaxed, even leaning into Wave a bit. After the song finished, she felt it had set her emotions straight and went back to their table where Koro was waiting impatiently, tugging on his leash tied to the table leg. They finished their meal and proceeded with the usual rounds.

 **The Capital- Imperial Palace, Esdeath's Quarters, Night**

The general had returned with immense disappointment. Tatsumi had again slipped through her grasp, though she enjoyed the day she spent with him on the island nonetheless.

However, she noted he had left the mysterious gateway to the island open for her, denoting his kindness was still a form of weakness that needed to be strained from him.

There was a knock on the door, and Esdeath sighed, walking over irritated and swinging the door open.

"Oh, hello, general." greeted Run politely. "You seem flustered. Did I catch you at a bad time?" He smiled as he questioned her.

"Oh, it's you. No, come in." She stepped past so he could enter and she closed the door behind him.

"I just have some documents from the Emperor on our next major assignments. And a request from the Minister of Finance for another security addition. But first I should ask where you have been and what might be wrong. You said nothing when you returned this afternoon in a huff. Wave and Seryu have been very worried about you."

She hung her head and pinched the bridge of her nose, as though her thoughts themselves were giving her a headache. "I saw Tatsumi again, Run. And he escaped me once again."

"Escaped? Interesting choice of words, commander. Do you intend to pursue this unrequited love forever?" Run thought back to this theory he had created a few days prior.

"Yes. He is the only man to meet my list of criteria and therefore I will refuse to let him just be." Esdeath looked at the window, openly longing for her one-sided lust object.

"Well, commander, if I may say something bold it seems you see him as less of a lover and more of a challenge to be dominated."

"Well, of course, that's my nature. He is my one love, but he is also a challenging project of sorts."

"Have you considered that perhaps it's not Tatsumi himself that you're so in love with but the ideas he represents?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, by probability alone there's probably _someone_ out there who also fits all your criteria, but whom you merely have not yet encountered, and it's best to keep an open mind…" he intended to go on, but she refused.

"No. I will hear no more on this subject. Tatsumi's resistance is part of what makes him such a great lover. He creates a new, exciting journey for me and I will relish the day I eventually bend him to my will." She was ice cold and deadly serious, as usual, with a hint of a sadistic grin forming.

Run sighed and merely said "I understand."

Esdeath's demeanor then softened and she smiled, "It seems like you're implying something here, Run. Are you trying to free me up for yourself? Because if so, I only am interested in younger men." Her smile denoted a playful, casual attitude once more. Her subtleties were hard to pick up on and Run was thankful he was intuitive to them or he'd be lost in conversations with her since she switched on a moment's notice.

He chuckled. "No, merely trying to be a good advisor."

"Good." She said, "Then let's look at these papers you've come here to discuss." She was quick to change the subject both to assert her dominance and command once more but also because Run had almost planted a serious seed of doubt in her mind, and she refused to be changed by anyone, especially by a subordinate.

 **The Capital- Minister of Finance's Quarters, Mid-Day**

"Oh shit, we're in for it now!" Wave screamed, having stormed in and found the Minister of Finance dead, apparently only minutes before their arrival, by some form of poisoning.

"Night Raid doesn't typically do poisoning. This is new for them, perhaps they've gotten some new members." Kurome deduced, remaining cool and level-headed.

"I hope not. That makes us down one and them up however many." Wave panicked. "Oh god, the general is going to torture me again, I know it! She's going to flog me and string me up, and burn me and waterboard me!" He shuddered, thinking it would be better to flee, though she'd find him in no time.

"Hey, don't be so freaked, a lot of guys would pay for her to do that to them." Kurome patted him with her usual deadpan expression.

"WHAT?!" Wave screamed, thrashing back from her.

"Haha, I'm only kidding. Esdeath only did that because you let that Night Raid assassin and Tatsumi escape. She couldn't care less about some dead politician. It's not like they were here and we just let them slip by."

As they left the apartment, they almost tripped over one of the Minister's pet cats, who seemed extra skittish compared to the rest, not all that strange considering how they barged in.

Kurome found Wave's sometimes comically serious and professional exterior kind of endearing, especially when he got all frightened and offended easily. She thought he looked very funny and cute when she poked fun at him. They had been detailed together more and more as of late and she found herself enjoying the comfort of his company, and found his kind heart and optimism refreshing compared to what she was used to. She even had forgotten about his sea scent and his terrible country boy fashion sense.

But she tried to hide this infatuation from Wave. She was sure he was a professional and wouldn't consider being with a comrade. Especially not one with her sordid past…

 **The Capital- Outskirts, Afternoon**

Later that day, Wave and Seryu were finishing their scouting in the outer forests of the Capital, as Kurome was put on palace duty with Bols. Wave trailed behind, allowing Seryu to get a bit ahead to keep up with Koro, who was tracking a scent, albeit a bit poorly, so Wave wasn't concerned about anything interesting happening. Koro then let out a bark and raced ahead, and Seryu sped after him incredibly fast, merely shouting back casually to Wave.

Wave, who was observing some nice flowers, was caught completely off guard, and turned to see the path ahead of himself empty. "Oh shit. SERYU!" he shouted, sprinting ahead as fast as he could.

His mind raced: could she handle herself up ahead? Of course she could, but so can the commander, and she'd been missing in action as well. He pleaded to whatever higher power there may be to let him catch up to her before some horrible fate befell her. His legs started to burn and lungs started taking in shallower breaths. 'DAMN IT!' he thought, 'Now's not the time to get fatigue.' He tried to resist but even at his hardest his legs had definitely started slowing down a bit. "SHIT." He muttered between harsher and harsher breaths. Suddenly, he saw some figures ahead. It was Seryu, accompanied by Koro, who had found the bandits up ahead, and drawn her sword; the two male bandits armed with small knives and a younger woman with them armed with nothing.

Wave, feeling adrenaline then surge over his body, raced forward, drawing his sword and jumping beside Seryu. He swung down, effortlessly and cleanly slicing the hand of one bandit and disarming him, before lunging forward and elbowing his jaw, knocking him out.

The other bandit lunged, but his arm was grappled by Seryu, who used his forward motion against him, swinging him around and into a nearby tree, knocking him to the ground where Wave restrained him. The girl panicked and attempted to escape, but Koro ran past her, tripping her up by stopping in her path, allowing Seryu to subdue her on the ground while Wave finished with the other two.

Some minutes later, they finally pushed the bandits on their knees into a huddle, their hands bound behind their backs, and Wave could see by their garbs that they were poorer, probably from a nearby village or farm. He had heard about some bandits in the forests stealing goods off trucks passing through at knifepoint, but they had never killed anyone, merely took some profits off of other farmers and merchants. The girl had seemed to keep a pretty face and nice figure despite her peasant status, though Wave tried to ignore this for the sake of his profession.

Seryu mentioned Wave should probably jog back and see if there were any other stragglers who need to be picked up as well. The bandits knew there weren't, but let Wave, the stronger of the duo, go anyways, thinking if they had a chance at escape, it was with the small young woman and her pet dog guarding them instead of him.

Wave scouted the area for a brief five minutes before seeing there was obviously no one else, and began jogging back. However, he saw a lone figure ahead. It was Seryu, dragging Koro alongside her, and he was confused, getting a bizarre sense of déjà vu from earlier.

"Hey, Seryu!" he said, slowing as he approached her. She continued almost to brush past him, and eerie calm over her. "What happened to those bandits we captured?" He asked, perplexed.

"They're aren't here anymore." she said curtly yet innocently, moving past him. A single red droplet splashed on the ground from her sword hilt, and Wave noticed, also noting the blood stains on Koro's mouth were fresh.

Wave quickly reached back, holding onto Seryu's shoulder to prevent her from leaving. "Wait," he said sternly, "You killed those bandits, didn't you?" He turned back to her, she hadn't budged. He remained calm with her despite him wanting to shout at her. "As Jaegers, we may have special privileges, but there are things we can and can't do-" She slowly reached back to him, and put her hand on his.

She turned to face him, blushing. "Those guys didn't belong to Night Raid. But they were evil, so it wasn't a complete waste. Let's continue to destroy evil at this pace!" She thought he was very cute, trying to correct her like a teacher. She thought he seemed more like a naive schoolboy that didn't realize how stupid something he had said seemed from the perspective of a (by comparison) worldly adult. She was still blushing as she continued to walk to the Capital. She thought that maybe this was the time she could help Wave with something so he wasn't the one having to always help her. She felt good about it and thought he looked so strong out on the battlefield with her, which only helped in her good mood about their bonding.

Wave on the other hand, was still far behind her, not having moved since she spoke. She was so sweet and genuine about it, he thought to himself. It had disturbed Wave greatly. As she left, he looked at his hand, reflecting on how the Capital was much worse than he thought; and how he had finally felt it. In that one moment, for the first time, he felt how truly cold and lifeless Seryu's hands were. All metal, no human warmth or heart. She couldn't be helped or changed, and the image he had of the sweet, caring, nurturing girl he had cared so much about melted away and was warped and twisted into a sick parody of what he thought she was, and what she probably believed she truly was. He knew he could never shake this feeling when around her now, no matter how hard he tried. He couldn't abandon her as a teammate or colleague or maybe even friend, but he knew he could never really be with her after this in any serious way. It was too horrible a truth to shake, and perhaps the effects of people like Ogre, Stylish, and the other officials of the Capital had completely ruined a potentially great person forever.


End file.
